Mountain coyote

Coyote Temporal range: 0.7–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Middle – recent
Mountain coyote (C. l. lestes)
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Caniformia
Family:	Canidae
Genus:	Canis
Species:	C. latrans
Binomial name
Canis latrans Say, 1823
Modern range of Canis latrans
Synonyms
List Canis andersoni Merriam, 1910 Canis caneloensis Skinner, 1942 Canis clepticus Eliot, 1903 Canis estor Merriam, 1897 Canis frustror Woodhouse, 1851 Canis goldmani Merriam, 1904 Canis hondurensis Goldman, 1936 Canis impavidus Allen, 1903 Canis irvingtonensis Savage, 1951 Canis jamesi Townsend, 1912 Canis lestes Merriam, 1897 Canis mearnsi Merriam, 1897 Canis microdon Merriam, 1897 Canis nebrascensis Merriam, 1898 Canis ochropus Eschscholtz, 1829 Canis orcutti Merriam, 1910 Canis pallidus Merriam, 1897 Canis peninsulae Merriam, 1897 Canis riviveronis Hay, 1917 Canis vigilis Merriam, 1897 Lyciscus cagottis Hamilton-Smith, 1839

The coyote (US: /kaɪˈoʊti, ˈkaɪoʊt/;Canis latrans; from Nahuatl  pronunciation ) is a canid native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the gray wolf, and slightly smaller than its other close relatives, the eastern wolf and the red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological niche as the golden jackal does in Eurasia, though it is larger and more predatory. It is listed as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to its wide distribution and abundance throughout North America, southwards through Mexico, and into Central America. The species is versatile and able to adapt to environments modified by humans. As human activity has altered the landscape, the coyote's range has expanded. In 2013, coyotes were sighted in eastern Panama (across the Panama Canal from their home range) for the first time. The coyote is more closely related to the common ancestor of wolves and other canids (more "basal") than the gray wolf. As of 2005^[update], 19 coyote subspecies are recognized.