I'm a grown adult. A man with no kids, and no so I no longer buy stuffed animals. That said, I had a close encounter on I-380 this morning with a cute lil... predator. Today, I nearly smoked a coyote who was farting around on the side of the road.

Photo by Oscar Sutton on Unsplash
Photo by Oscar Sutton on Unsplash
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It got me wondering since you don't often see coyotes, what they're all about. My knowledge of them was limited to their bar namesake in the movie Coyote Ugly.

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What I learned really surprised me. Coyotes are members of the Canis family, like all domesticated dogs. Also, as it turns out, the coyote is Iowa's number one predator. Now, that doesn't mean that you're going to get blindsided by a pack of them. By the way, coyotes are very social but usually hunt alone according to the National Park Service, so you'll likely never encounter a bunch of bloodthirsty coyotes period.

What it means, is that coyotes are, like raccoons, scavengers. They don't just eat meat, they'll eat fruit, vegetables, and trash. According to the Dickinson County Iowa conservation board, coyotes eat a varied diet.

Photo by Josh Felise on Unsplash
Photo by Josh Felise on Unsplash
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The coyote I nearly waxed this morning was likely eating something that was dead on the side of the road. A deer, maybe a rodent... I'm not 100% sure, but I'm glad I didn't take him out. I mean, for one thing, they're really cute. Also, I don't want one messing up my car.

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