Extension of Coyote, Canis latrans, Breeding Range in the Northwest Territories, Canada

Coyotes (Canis latrans) have resided in the Northwest Territories for several decades but have only rarely been sighted north of Great Slave Lake (>62° N. latitude) in the Taiga Shield ecozone. Records show Coyotes have been seen since the 1960s. Prior to 2000, evidence of Coyotes breeding in the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Canadian Field-Naturalist
Main Author: Cluff, H. Dean
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club 2006
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/248
https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v120i1.248
Description
Summary:Coyotes (Canis latrans) have resided in the Northwest Territories for several decades but have only rarely been sighted north of Great Slave Lake (>62° N. latitude) in the Taiga Shield ecozone. Records show Coyotes have been seen since the 1960s. Prior to 2000, evidence of Coyotes breeding in the Taiga Shield has been anecdotal. In 2000, a Coyote was repeatedly seen at the Yellowknife airport and in 2001, a pair of Coyotes was observed with two pups. Since then, Coyote pups have been observed annually at the airport and adult Coyotes are seen regularly within the city of Yellowknife, an urban island within the Taiga Shield ecozone. Unlike in most regions occupied by Coyotes, medium-sized prey are rarely seen. Recently, Coyotes have become a potential hazard to aircraft at the Yellowknife airport. Although Coyotes appear to have established themselves within the city of Yellowknife, maintaining a presence beyond the urbanized area remains uncertain.