Two Yellowstone coyotes had an aggressive standoff the other day. The dominance display occurred after two coyotes took interest in the same bison carcass. While this standoff may have looked traumatizing to onlookers, coyote experts shared that it was nothing too alarming.
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Yellowstone Coyotes Have Aggressive Standoff
When it comes to ensuring you get enough food, coyotes take that matter very seriously. This is particularly true during the colder winter months. Perhaps then it is not hard to fathom why this standoff occurred. Cowboy State Daily shared that one of the coyotes was feasting on a bison carcass that it found.
Shortly after, another coyote meandered over, interested in the same carcass. After the second coyote’s arrival, the aggressive standoff ensued. The first coyote immediately released the carcass, prepared to defend its meal. That is when the coyotes began “facing each other and posturing with intimidating stances.”
While the two Yellowstone coyotes did scuffle a bit, they didn’t really get into the fight. Neither was harmed. Additionally, after the scuffle, the newcomer’s pride was wounded, and it retreated. Once the first coyote had had its fill of the carcass, the second one returned to enjoy the scraps.
Experts Say Coyotes Are Incredibly Smart
Although hunched figures and teeth baring may look intimidating to us humans, experts suggest that this is normal for coyotes. In fact, they shared that it might even be a “bizarre form of greeting.” Furthermore, those experts elaborated that they can occasionally get them into trouble with wolves.
Unlike coyotes, if a wolf is posturing and baring its teeth, that is bad news. Despite the aggressive standoff, experts argue that coyotes don’t typically partake in high-stakes fights. Instead, they argue that these animals are “highly evolved” and are a “complex species.”
While they do admit that a large portion of coyote behavior remains a mystery, experts are fairly certain that these Yellowstone coyotes were not intending to hurt one another. When speaking with Cowboy State Daily, Robert Crabtree, the founder, chief scientist, and president of the Yellowstone Ecological Research Center, had this to say.
“Coyotes have their disagreements, but typically aren’t out to seriously hurt or kill each other.” Then he elaborated, “Coyotes fight all the time,” he said. “But it’s all ritualistic to avoid fatal fighting. Coyotes don’t kill each other like wolves do.”
