Coyote - koyote (English spelling)

An animal of the order Carnivora and family Canidae in the class Mammalia. Also called the prairie wolf or coyote, it resembles a wolf but is smaller and lives mainly on the grasslands of North and Central America. Its body length is 75-125 cm, its tail length 30-40 cm, and its weight 7-20 kg. It is the same as a wolf in terms of its body shape and long back hair, but it has large ears, a thick tail like a fox, and a pointed snout. Its body hair is gray-brown, its limbs are orange, and the tip of its tail is usually black. It lives alone, in pairs, or in small groups in grasslands, shrubs, and sparse forests. Its home range is 8-80 square kilometers, and it is mainly active at night, walking an average of 4 kilometers per night. It often howls, which it uses to inform its comrades of its location and to protect its territory. Their main food is small animals such as rabbits and mice, which they usually sneak up on, but sometimes several of them work together to chase and catch deer. They are fast runners, with a record of running at 64 kilometers per hour. They mate from January to March, and after a gestation period of about 63 days, they give birth to 2-12 pups (average 6 pups) in one litter in a burrow. They use holes in rocks, hollows in fallen trees, and holes made by other animals, but they sometimes dig their own burrows. The nest chamber is 1.5-8 meters deep from the entrance and 1 meter underground. The pups open their eyes after 14 days, are weaned at 5-7 weeks, become independent in the fall, and breed the following year. They can live for 21 years in captivity and 14-15 years in the wild. They are hated because they kill sheep and spread rabies. Their fur is good for keeping out the cold, and more than 300,000 pieces are sold annually. Due to deforestation, they are expanding their range and replacing wolves, and in southern Canada and other places, coydogs, a hybrid of wolves and dogs, have been developed.

[Yoshinori Imaizumi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

哺乳(ほにゅう)綱食肉目イヌ科の動物。ソウゲンオオカミ、コヨテともいい、オオカミに似るが小さく、北および中央アメリカのおもに草原にすむ。体長75～125センチメートル、尾長30～40センチメートル、体重7～20キログラム。体形、背の毛が長いなどの点はオオカミに等しいが、耳介は大きく、尾はキツネに似て太く、吻(ふん)はとがる。体毛は灰褐色で、四肢は橙(だいだい)色を帯び、尾端は普通黒い。草原、低木林、疎林に、単独、一対または小群ですむ。行動圏は8～80平方キロメートル、おもに夜間に活動し一夜に平均4キロメートル歩く。よく遠ぼえをするが、これは仲間に位置を知らせ、縄張りを守る働きをする。主食はウサギ、ネズミなどの小獣で普通忍び寄ってとらえるが、数匹が協力してシカを追いかけてとらえることもある。走るのが速く時速64キロメートルの記録がある。1～3月に交尾、妊娠期間約63日、1腹2～12子（平均6子）を巣穴に産む。巣穴には岩穴、倒木の洞、ほかの獣の穴も使うが、自分で掘ることもある。入口から1.5～8メートル奥、地下1メートルの深さに巣室がある。子は14日で目が開き、5～7週で離乳、秋に独立し、翌年繁殖する。寿命は飼育下で21歳、野生で14～15歳。ヒツジを殺し、狂犬病を広げるので嫌われる。毛皮は防寒に適し、年に30万枚以上が市場に出る。森林伐採に伴い、オオカミにかわって分布を広げつつあり、カナダ南部などではオオカミやイヌとの雑種であるコイドッグができている。

［今泉吉典］

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