The Howling Coyote
I was about 50 feet from this coyote at Yellowstone National Park when this one let out a sound that is still ringing in my ears . I just wish I was recording the sound. I don’t think the coyote knew I was so close.
“Howling is a basic communication behavior in coyotes,” says Gary San Julian, a Penn State University professor of wildlife resources. “It has several functions. One is to call the pack—really a family group—back together again after a period of individual hunting. A second reason that coyotes howl is to advertise their presence to other packs, essentially warning those other family groups against trespassing across territorial boundaries.”
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Ahooooooo!!!!!! Nice capture.
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March 24, 2015 at 11:40 AM
It was your classic Ahoooooooooooooo
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March 24, 2015 at 11:55 AM
LOL
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March 24, 2015 at 1:53 PM
cooooooooooool! Gruß Alois
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March 24, 2015 at 12:09 PM
Wow, look at those chompers! 😉 Hearing coyotes always raises the hair on the back of my neck, even though I know I am safe, it is clearly a primal fear kind of thing. And I’ve never heard them THAT close!
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March 24, 2015 at 12:17 PM
Yes Eliza, I think the hair on my back raised as well
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March 24, 2015 at 6:33 PM
I just remembered, years ago, our seeing a pair of ‘disabled’ coyotes in a local zoo when my kids were small. My two-yr.old was standing next to the fence and one took a look at him and set to howling, woke up his partner and the two of them chorused. Even though there was a fence between us, the mama protector in me grabbed that kid in seconds flat!
I love the idea of what they do for an ecosystem, but I have trouble with them in my yard, lol.
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March 24, 2015 at 6:48 PM
Is it safe to be so close to the coyote?
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March 24, 2015 at 1:10 PM
Coyotes or wolves don’t bother humans. I didn’t seee him and he didn’t see me until he started howling
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March 24, 2015 at 6:33 PM
Nothing like throwing your head back and letting rip
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March 24, 2015 at 1:17 PM
Great photos!
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March 24, 2015 at 6:14 PM
Great capture!
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March 24, 2015 at 6:51 PM
Wow! Wonderful! 🙂
Lindy
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March 24, 2015 at 6:55 PM
Ohw wow, that is so cool! Must have been a tremendous experience. I would love to hear that sound once in real life!
Thank you for sharing 🙂
Have a great day!
Kind regards,
Tieme
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March 25, 2015 at 1:06 AM
You’re welcome Tieme
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March 25, 2015 at 1:17 AM
Love these photos! We have coyotes here in Georgia, and I have seen several from a distance but none up close.
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March 25, 2015 at 4:56 PM
I never saw this one until he started howling.
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March 25, 2015 at 5:26 PM
What a terrific opportunity that was!
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March 25, 2015 at 7:21 PM
What a great capture … and exceptional experience. Gotta try YNP in winter sometime soon.
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March 27, 2015 at 12:54 PM
Thanks Jim. Yes, Yellowstone is special in the winter time.
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March 27, 2015 at 11:43 PM
Beautiful shots! My husband had the privilege of watching this with a pack of wolves about 50 yards away while on a tour in Yellowstone a few years back.
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March 28, 2015 at 8:48 PM
That would be quite a moment. I was driving a snowcoach in Yellowstone a few winters ago and got really close to the most beautiful wolf I had ever seen. But I did not have my camera with me to get the shot. These coyotes were beautiful too
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March 29, 2015 at 12:37 AM
Good timing and wonderful shots ! I’ve seen the film Wolf Totem yesterday, and your post makes me think about it. These creatures are fascinating.
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March 30, 2015 at 12:49 AM