Ernest Thompson Seton (American, 1860-1946)Original Drawing for Plate LXXVII, Coyote Study from Lives of Game Animals, Vol. I, 1925 — Ernest Thompson Seton (American, 1860-1946)
*Original Drawing for Plate LXXVII, Coyote Study* from *Lives of Game Animals, Vol. I*, 1925

On December 14th, a new exhibit will open at the Bruce Museum: Collecting Reimagined: A 2D Curiosity Cabinet. This exhibit will bring the concept of the 16th and 17th century curiosity cabinet into the modern age, with displays of 2D artwork and artifact “curiosities” that represent objects that would have held fascination for the collectors of the past. One work that will be displayed is the study of a coyote.

Coyotes are one of our canine residents of Connecticut, but not the only wild cousin of “man’s best friend” that we have in our area. Canines are the animals most closely related to dogs, such as wolves and coyotes. Foxes are a little more distantly related, and join dogs in a group called canids. Both canines and canids play an important role in the different ecosystems we have here in Connecticut.

Red Fox

It isn’t unusual to spot a red fox out for a jaunt in Connecticut. Not only are they the most common canid in Connecticut, they thrive in suburban areas, and are often active during the day. Though red foxes are not considered harmful to humans, they will sometimes clash with smaller domesticated animals such as chickens, cats, and small dogs.

Red foxes are adaptable omnivores, and will eat whatever is available to them. This includes small animals, like woodchucks, rabbits, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. They’ll also dine on fruit, nuts, insects, and garbage.

The red fox in Connecticut is not quite the same animal that lived here in the past. There already was a subspecies of red fox in America when the first European colonists arrived, but in the 1750s, a European variety of red fox was imported and released into the eastern coastal areas. The European red fox interbred with the American red fox, creating a new hybrid red fox, which is the version that lives amongst us today.

Gray fox

The gray fox is more shy and reclusive than the red fox, but is still an important local canid resident. Their fur is short, sleek, and an eye-catching mixture of gray, black, red, and white. Averaging only 10 – 11 lbs, they are dainty and graceful animals.

Gray foxes are widespread throughout Connecticut, and as farmland returns to forest, their population increases. Their preferred habitats include woodlands, swamps, and sometimes suburbs with a lot of bushy cover. However, even when they live in proximity to humans, they are shy animals and most active at dusk and night, leaving them rarely encountered.

Like other foxes, the gray fox eats an omnivorous diet. They eat a variety of small animals, and add plants to their diets when available. Though they are virtually harmless where humans are concerned, gray foxes can occasionally prey on small livestock.

The gray fox has one habit that makes it very unusual for animals in the dog family – they readily climb trees!

Coyote

The coyote is the most controversial canine in Connecticut, perhaps because they are relative newcomers. Their first arrival was in the northwest corner of the state in the mid-1950s. Since then, the coyote has spread across the entire state, including into Greenwich.

Physically, our local eastern coyote looks very similar to the western coyote, but tend to be larger in size. This size difference may be due to hybridization. DNA analysis has revealed that eastern coyote populations have in the past interbred with both domestic dogs and gray wolves.

Coyotes will utilize a variety of habitats, from natural wooded areas to highly developed urban ones. Their eating habits reflect this flexibility – Coyotes are generalist feeders and will eat practically anything available to them. They’ll hunt for small to medium-sized animals, and can sometimes even take down small deer. Fruit and carrion are also on the menu, and coyotes living near humans will readily dig through garbage for morsels.

Food is what brings coyotes into conflict with humans most often, whether that is from a coyote preying upon someone’s cat, dog, or poultry, or a coyote losing its fear of humans after stealing enough garbage from inhabited areas. However, risks arising from coyote and human interactions are minimal if safety precautions are observed, and coyote attacks on humans are very rare.

If you would like to learn more about how to safely live near coyotes, click here.

Gray wolf

Once, the gray wolf roamed Connecticut. However, as the European colonists increasingly changed the wolf’s habitat and prey availability, the gray wolf’s presence diminished. By the 19th century, gray wolves were extirpated from the state. While no wolves are currently believed to reside in Connecticut, it is possible that populations could return. In October of 2007, a single wolf was found in Massachusetts, apparently having traveled south out of Canada. With the population surge of the white-tailed deer, a favored prey source of wolves, it isn’t out of the question that wolves could eventually return to Connecticut from these distant Canadian populations.

- Kate Dzikiewicz, Science Curatorial Associate and Seaside Center Manager