Mammals of Washington, Volume 2: University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural HistoryDalquest, Walter Woelber
Science
Mammals of Washington, Volume 2: University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural History
Dalquest, Walter Woelber
Mammals -- Washington (State)
Sperry (1941) reported on the analysis of the contents of 8,339 coyote
stomachs from various places in the United States, 1,186 of the stomachs
being from Washington. The following information is from his report on
all of the 8,339 stomachs: rabbits formed one-third of the food;
_Microtus_ was found in 7 per cent of the stomachs; _Peromyscus_ in 6
per cent; _Neotoma_ in 4 per cent. _Reithrodontomys_ were found in 53 of
the 8,339 stomachs and in insignificant numbers. _Onychomys_ occurred in
11 of the 8,339 stomachs; _Clethrionomys_ in 8. _Ondatra_ occurred in 8
of the 8,339. Two muskrats were in stomachs obtained from Washington.
_Citellus_ (exclusive of _beecheyi_, _lateralis_, and _saturatus_) were
found in 4 per cent and were locally important; _Citellus beecheyi_
occurred in 84 stomachs, including 1 from Washington; _Citellus
lateralis_ and _saturatus_ occurred in 50 stomachs, including 5 from
Washington. _Marmota_ were found in 1 per cent of the stomachs. They
were included in stomachs from Washington but the number was not
reported. _Tamias_ (= _Eutamias_) were found in 43 stomachs from western
United States and were present in 1 per cent of the 1,186 stomachs from
Washington. _Sciurus_ and _Tamiasciurus_ occurred in 33 stomachs.
Included were 3 _Tamiasciurus douglasii_, a _Tamiasciurus hudsonicus_,
and a _Sciurus griseus_ from Washington. _Glaucomys_ occurred in 6
Washington-taken coyotes, of a total of 11 from the entire United
States. _Perognathus_ occurred in 3 per cent of the stomachs, and 274
individuals were represented. They were found in 10 per cent of the
1,186 Washington stomachs. _Thomomys_ occurred in 4 per cent of the
stomachs examined and in 7 per cent of the stomachs from Washington.
_Erethizon_ appeared in 2 per cent of the stomachs (135 records),
including some from Washington. _Aplodonta_ occurred in only 11
stomachs, all taken in Washington. Locally, it is concluded, mountain
beavers are important coyote food. House mice occurred in but five
stomachs, including 2 from Washington. _Zapus_ did not occur in coyote
stomachs from Washington. Domestic sheep and goats formed 7 per cent of
the food of Washington coyotes. Calves occurred in 3 stomachs of coyotes
from Washington. Pigs occurred in 8. Deer formed 3 per cent, by volume,
of coyote food in Washington. A part of the stock and deer reported was
doubtless carrion.
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