There's more to Chicago wildlife than pigeons and rats. There's also coyotes. And there's lot of them. Stanley Gehrt, a biologist from Ohio State University has been studying and tracking coyotes in Chicago for over 14 years and has estimated that there are roughly 2,000 adult coyotes living right here in the Windy City. If pups are included, this estimate could double to roughly 4,000 coyotes in Chicago. Gehrt has tracked over 800 coyotes in Chicago since 2000 using GPS collars and found that coyotes live everywhere in the city - including the densely populated downtown area. According to researchers, more coyotes are moving into dense urban areas because they've become adaptive over the years. They're resourceful animals and can thrive in different types of climates. However, they may not be huge fans of Chicago style pizza and Old Style.
·Keeping Up With the Carnivores [JSTOR Daily]
Filed under: