Wily coyote? urban canines take more risks compared with rural ones – study

Recent research indicates that urban coyotes exhibit more daring behaviors and show less apprehension towards new experiences than their rural counterparts.

Individuals who have lived in urban environments often become desensitized to peculiar sights, such as unicycling bagpipers or individuals changing attire on public transport. Interestingly, urban coyotes appear to reflect similar boldness, as revealed by a comprehensive study conducted at over a dozen locations throughout the United States, which examined the responses of urban versus rural coyotes to novel stimuli.

The study yielded consistent results: urban coyotes did not exhibit hesitation when confronted with unfamiliar objects. "Urban coyotes nationwide engage in riskier behaviors compared to their rural counterparts," states Javier Monzón, a biologist at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, and co-author of the study. "This does not imply that they are more aggressive, just that they demonstrate reduced fear towards unaccustomed stimuli."

This investigation stands out as the first to encompass such a broad geographical area regarding urban and rural coyotes, involving 623 stations at 16 paired sites across the country. Although coyotes have inhabited the western United States for millennia, their population has rapidly expanded throughout the continent in recent decades, attributed to the absence of natural predators and an abundance of food sources.

Moreover, this research serves a broader purpose in exploring urban wildlife behaviors overall, as coyotes are prevalent across various regions. "One notable aspect of coyotes is their ubiquity," Monzón remarks. "Consequently, they provide an excellent model to investigate whether urban wildlife behaves differently than their rural equivalents."

The researchers established camera trap stations, deploying remote cameras that activated upon sensing any warm-bodied animal in proximity. At half of these sites, they constructed an unfamiliar object using four posts and string, with a heaping teaspoon of meat bait and a scent tab placed inside to entice the coyotes. The study found that urban coyotes spent approximately four additional seconds near the bait area compared to their rural peers. The researchers attributed this behavioral difference to the reduced fear of human harassment in urban areas, where recreational hunting is often banned, leading to fewer direct threats from humans. Their findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports in December 2025.

Niamh Quinn, a wildlife ecologist from the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, was not taken aback by these findings. "Coyotes possess remarkable adaptability," she observes. "They seamlessly navigate their existence alongside us, largely indifferent to our presence."

Coyote populations are on the rise in cities across the United States. A 2016 study found coyotes in 96 out of 105 surveyed cities. Nevertheless, many urban communities are grappling with strategies to manage these predators, particularly due to concerns regarding potential conflicts with humans, children, and pets. A 2019 study by the National Park Service indicated that 20% of urban coyotes' diets consist of domestic cats.

According to Monzón, the findings of this study could assist urban areas in better managing coyote behavior. While the disparity between urban and rural coyotes was more pronounced in western cities, the results were consistent across all surveyed locations, suggesting that management techniques effective in one area may be applicable in others.

Quinn emphasizes the importance of determining the effectiveness of "hazing" methods—tactics intended to make coyotes uncomfortable around humans. This technique involves displaying boldness and noise—such as shouting, waving arms, or making loud sounds—until the coyote vacates the vicinity. However, its effectiveness remains uncertain. "The reaction varies between individuals," she notes. "One coyote might ignore you entirely, while another could retreat immediately."

To investigate this further, Quinn plans to capture coyotes, fit them with collars, apply hazing to half of them, and subsequently assess changes in their spatial behavior—essentially determining whether their habits shift to resemble those of rural coyotes.

The effects of urban environments appear to extend to other species as well. Monzón frequently observes ravens perched near busy roads in Los Angeles, seemingly unperturbed by passing cars. He also notes that squirrels and birds in urban settings often exhibit reduced fear of human presence. "With coyotes, there remains an unanswered question," he reflects, "whether this behavioral adaptation arises from habituation or potential genetic evolution towards bolder traits."