The social system of the coyote (Canis latrans) in a forested habitat

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Abstract
The social organization of forest-living coyotes (C. latrans) was studied for 20 mo. The 4 breeding groups in the study area were territorial. The size and shape of their territories remained unchanged despite the sudden and profound change in prey distribution in Dec. as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) congregated yearly in a winter yard. Solitary adults lived on overlapping areas that ignored the breeding groups'' territories. Some juveniles lived on their parents'' territory but were not always associated with them. During the winter (Nov.-April) 35% of the coyotes were in packs of 3-5 animals, 28% in pairs and 37% solitary. Animals that were usually solitary almost never congregated to form temporary groups, and members of pairs were almost always together. Territoriality is essential to insure pup survival by increasing the foraging efficiency of parents that must feed sedentary pups. Individual and immediate advantage probably is sufficient to explain the late dispersal of pups resulting in the formation of packs. The traditional view that larger group size in coyotes and other social carnivores living in extended families evolved to increase foraging efficiency is questioned.

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