72 ANIMAL LIFE IN THE YOSEMITE 



brown, with black along back, and with reddish bro\\n of varying tone on nose, ears, 

 back, and legs. Tail very bushy, 4 or more inches in diameter, black tipped. Tracks: 

 Dog-like, longer than wide, in a large animal 2^/4 by 2% inches (6 by 7 cm.) ; impression 

 of heel pad but little larger than that of any individual toe; claw marks not always 

 showing. Droppings : Dog-like, about % inch in diameter. Voice: A loud, moderately 

 high-pitched barking, interspersed with shrill wailings, usually continued for several 

 seconds; rarely heard except during the night. 



Occiirrence. — Moderately common almost throughout the Yosemite section, from the 

 westernmost foothills eastward across the Sierran crest to the Mono Lake district. In 

 winter some of the high mountain individuals descend to lower altitudes, and range 

 down on the west slope to at least the 3500 foot contour, as at Cascades. In Yosemite 

 Valley the animal is most often seen or heard in fall and winter. Frequents various sorts 

 of country; often seen in the open. Usually seen singly. 



In spite of the great amount of trapping and hunting carried on against 

 them for many j^ears, coyotes remain fairly common in the Yosemite section. 

 Summer travelers, especially in the territory above the level of Yosemite 

 Valley, are likely to catch sight of the animals or, if not so fortunate, at 

 least to see their tracks or hear their howling. At almost every camp which 

 we made in the region we ourselves were apprized of the presence of the 

 animals in one or another of these ways. 



The coyote is not easily to be confused with any other wild mammal. 

 It resembles in general appearance some of the domestic breeds of dogs, 

 especially the collie and the 'wolf dogs,' yet offers decided points of differ- 

 ence. The body of the coyote is high and narrow (compressed), the face 

 and snout long and tapering (pi. 39a), the ears high (4 inches or more 

 in an adult) and habitually carried erect, the tail moderatelj' long, round, 

 and bushy, the feet smaller than in a dog of the same bulk, and the legs 

 slenderer and relatively long, the body being carried well above the ground. 

 From all of the foxes the coyote differs in its much larger size and in its 

 relatively longer legs. From the California Valley Coyote, which lives on 

 the San Joaquin plains, the Mountain Coyote is distinguished by larger 

 size, stouter build, greater weight of body, and heavier fur. In tone of 

 color some of the high mountain individuals are so much paler than the 

 foothill and valley animals as to give rise to the local term "gray wolf." 



An average adult Mountain Coyote measures about 45 inches from tip 

 of nose to tip of tail. The tail is about 13 inches long. The height of the 

 animal at the shoulder is about 20 inches. The weight of a male is in the 

 neighborhood of 25 pounds. Some will exceed this weight, while many of 

 the animals which are trapped in late fall, that is, the young of the year, 

 will weigh considerably less. Females are somewhat smaller and of lighter 

 weight than males of a corresponding age. 



The pelage of the Mountain Coyote is heavy all through the year, being 

 always denser and 'woollier' than that of the Valley species at the same 

 season. In the coat of the Mountain Coyote there are relatively few of the 



