El coyote (Canis latrans, que significa "perro ladrador") es una especie de mamífero carnívoro de la familia Canidae. Los coyotes solo se encuentran en América del Norte, América Central y recientemente América del Sur; desde Canadá hasta Colombia. Su nombre viene de la palabra náhuatl cóyotl (AFI /ˈkojo:tɬ/). Aunque a veces se reúnen en manadas, son por lo general solitarios. Viven en promedio unos 6 años. Recientemente, se han descubierto manadas de coyotes que cruzaron al otro lado del Canal de Panamá, y ya se han avistado ejemplares en la zona noroeste de Colombia. A pesar de haber sido intensamente cazados, los coyotes son unos de los pocos animales grandes que han ampliado su hábitat desde la conquista de América por los europeos. Han ocupado áreas en Norteamérica previamente habitadas por los lobos, y se han adaptado al consumo de basura y animales domésticos. El coyote mide menos de 60 cm de altura, y su color varía desde el gris hasta el canela, a veces con un tinte rojizo. Las orejas y el hocico del coyote parecen largos en relación al tamaño de su cabeza. Pesa entre 10 y 25 kg, promediando 15. Puede ser identificado por su cola espesa y ancha que, a menudo, lleva cerca del suelo. Por su aspecto esbelto se puede distinguir de su pariente mayor, el lobo gris, que puede pesar de 35 a 70 kg. El coyote es un animal muy flaco, y puede parecer desnutrido a primera vista aun si goza de buena salud.

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The coyote (US /kaɪˈoʊti, ˈkaɪoʊt/; Canis latrans) is a canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the gray wolf, being roughly the North American equivalent to the Old World golden jackal, though it is larger and more predatory. It is listed as "least concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), on account of 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 its relative the gray wolf. As of 2005, 19 coyote subspecies are recognized. It is highly flexible in social organization, living either in a family unit or in loosely knit packs of unrelated individuals. It has a varied diet consisting primarily of animal meat, including deer, rabbits, hares, rodents, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates, though it may also eat fruits and vegetables on occasion. The coyote's characteristic vocalization is a howl made by solitary individuals. Humans aside, cougars and gray wolves are the coyote's only serious enemies. Nevertheless, coyotes have on occasion mated with the gray wolf, producing hybrids colloquially called "coywolves". The coyote is a prominent character in Native American folklore (Southwestern United States and Mexico), usually depicted as a trickster that alternately assumes the form of an actual coyote or a man. As with other trickster figures, the coyote acts as a picaresque hero which rebels against social convention through deception and humor. The animal was especially respected in Mesoamerican cosmology as a symbol of military might, with some scholars having traced the origin of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl to a pre-Aztec coyote deity. After the European colonization of the Americas, it was reviled in Anglo-American culture as a cowardly and untrustworthy animal. Unlike the gray wolf, which has undergone a radical improvement of its public image, cultural attitudes towards the coyote remain largely negative.

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