Coyotes

Coyotes are medium-sized dog-like animals with small feet, slender legs, narrow pointed muzzles, and pointed erect ears. Each foot has four toes, claws, and a smaller fifth toe shaped like a dew point, which is not in contact with the ground. Its color is reddish, grayish, or fawn with black stripes, with lighter underparts. There is a black patch at the head and base of the tail, and on the front of the ankle. The upper parts of the feet, the nape, the muzzle, behind the ears, and the outside of the legs are reddish brown or tan.

The coyote is a species of canine endemic to North America. Despite their larger size and more predatory behavior, they are comparable to the golden jackals found in Europe and Asia. When it comes to food choices, they are very versatile. No species is safe from coyotes, from large animals like bison to small ones like rodents and lizards. Their long list of prey also includes tortoises and not only juveniles but adults as well.

The coyote is one of the tortoise's most common enemies, which is why it is included in the list of turtle predators that eat turtles. Coyotes can eat turtle meat without breaking its shell. These predatory tortoises will not only hunt one they come across, they may even go as far as to dig it out of their burrows to eat. Some other canine species, such as foxes, cats, and wild dogs, also similarly eat tortoises. It must be noted that these animals only make the strenuous effort to hunt turtles when there is a scarcity of other, easily obtained bait in their natural habitat.