Notable Difference Between Coyotes and Foxes: Coyotes and Foxes are doglike terrestrial animals who belong to the family of canines which are easily identified by their average to large size, their huge, well-developed skulls and dentition, long legs, and similarly short ears and tails. In this article, we will show you the notable difference between coyotes and foxes.
However, both animals share lots of similarities, this article seeks to outline the differences between these species of animals. Coyotes and foxes are mainly unaccompanied and are able to adapt to a wide range of habitats which include urban areas like inner cities and suburban neighborhoods.
Coyotes
Coyotes are categorized to the family Canidae, under the Order Carnivora. They are also native to North and Central America. Coyote’s scientific name is Canis latrans. There are like 19 recognized subspecies of coyote out of which 3 are seen in Central America.
The remaining subspecies are for the most part found in Mexico, Canada, and the USA. These subspecies can adjust to different natural surroundings so they can be found in living in or around huge urban areas. Coyotes are also characterized by large triangle-shaped ears, a long, bushy tail and a long narrow muzzle.
Coyotes are smaller than a grey wolf but larger than a fox. They can also run as fast as 40 mph and can jump up to 4m in the air. Their color is different, depending on the location, e.g. in the northernmost parts of their range, they can be pale to white in color and in the West, they tend to have reddish hue fur with black markings.
Foxes
These animals are omnivorous mammals that are light on their feet. But, they are frequently mistaken for other members of the Canidae family, which include jackals, wolves, and dogs. They are also different from their family because of their long, thin legs, lithe frame, pointed nose, and bushy tail.
Foxes are very social and live flexible lives. They can be seen all over the world in North America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa and they also call a wide range of terrains their home. Foxes also eat a greatly mixed diet.
Typically, foxes live in forested areas, although they are also found in grasslands, mountains and deserts. These animals make their homes through digging of burrows in the ground which are also called dens, provide a cool area to sleep, a good location to store food and a secure place to have their pups. Burrows are dug-out tunnels that have enough rooms for the fox and its family to live in.
Notable Difference Between Coyotes and Foxes
1. Foxes are reclusive animals while coyotes are social animals.
2. Foxes have an imbricate diet while coyotes can also feed on foxes or just kill them to reclaim their territory.
3. A fox goes through a 52 days gestation period while the gestation period in coyotes is 60 days.
4. Foxes also have long bushy tails but Coyotes have a short tail relative to their body sizes.
5. Coyotes can hunt during the day while foxes are nocturnal animals.
6. Foxes have small canines as they weigh about 8 to 24 pounds. Coyotes are commonly bigger than Foxes and weigh between 24 to 46 pounds.
7. There are also 19 recognized species of coyotes while foxes are with 12 known species.
8. These animals have the same habits and can adapt to different environments such as mountains, grasslands, forests, and deserts.
9. Coyotes kill deer for food while Foxes don’t really have the strength to kill a deer.
10. These animals are the canines where the foxes are the smallest to the coyotes and the coyotes smaller than the wolves.