| Family canidae characteristics | Dog-like in appearance
Digitigrade, claws nonretractile
Five front toes (one is high on leg)
Four hind toes
Long-legged and cursorial
Rostrum of skull elongated
Dental formula: I 3/3 + C 1/1 + P 4/4 + M 2/3
Carnassial teeth highly sectorial |
| Grey wolf appearance | - German shepherd-like in appearance but with longer legs, larger feet and narrower chest
- Colour is variable |
| Grey wolf habitat | -Summers close to denning site
-winter movements are more extensive in search of prey
-Availability of prey dictates habitat use |
| Grey wolf behaviour | Social animals - form family groups up to 20
wolves generally avoid human interaction |
| Wolf feeding | -Coastal wolves = deer as the main prey. Also
been observed to feed on salmon
-Interior wolves = variety of ungulates (moose, deer,
caribou, elk, mountain sheep, goats) |
| Wolf breeding | -Feb. through March
-Breeding is controlled by a dominant alpha pair
-Gestation is 63 days
-litter of 6-10 pups born in a den in May
-Pups remain in the den for about 2 weeks
-They join the pack hunts by mid fall |
| Coyote scientific name | Canis latrans |
| Coyote characteristics | -like lean german shepherd
- Slender muzzles, large pointed ears, long slender legs and relatively small feet compared to a wolf
- Bushy tail tipped in black |
| Coyote behaviour | Not as social as wolves but can for small family groups |
| Coyote habitat | Many different habitat types, including forests, subalpine, prairie and urban areas |
| Coyote food and feeding | - varied diet including rodents, rabbits, birds, snakes, frogs, fish, small ungulates and domestic livestock
-hunt day and at night, alone or in a family group |
| Coyote reproduction | -Tend to be monogamous, pairs remain together for several years
-Mating occurs in Feb - March
-Gestation 60-63 days
-usually 2-3 whelps are born in dens from April to May
-Juveniles usually leave parents after first fall or winter |
| Coyote management | NBL in most regions
Fur bearing animal |
| Red fox scientific name | Vulpes Vulpes |
| What are the 2 subspecies of red fox in BC? | V. v. abietorum (northern half + central parts of province)
V. v. cascadensis (south part of province + lower mainland) |
| Physical characteristics of red fox | • Slight body, sharp pointed face and ears
• Colouration usually reddish brown, black paws, black behind the ears and faint black muzzle
• Undersides + tip of the large bushy tail white
Other colour phases include the cross fox and silver fox |
| Red Fox habitat | Variety of habitats throughout its range, including forests, meadows, alpine areas and agricultural clearings |
| Red fox food and feeding | Omnivorous - feed on small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, birds (including eggs), fish and fruits
Mainly nocturnal hunters but may be active dawn and dusk |
| Red fox reproduction | • Dec. to mid-March
• Usually but not always monogamous
• Kits born March - May in dens that can either be selfdug, burrows of other animals, hollow logs, caves, or under barns |
| Red fox reproduction | • They bang late Dec. to mid-March
• Usually but not always monogamous
• Kits born March - May in dens that can either be selfdug, burrows of other animals, hollow logs, caves, or under barns
- Kits leave dens when capable of feeding themselves |
