Can You Picture This?    

   Sunday night at 9 o'clock, and we don't have a blog for Monday morning. It's dark, and coyotes are  
howling in the distance ... on fairway 4 ... which is par for the course many nights.  

   You can't hear them, but can you visualize a
foursome of hungry canines under tonight's full
moon? Now, where were we? Oh, need a topic
for Monday...

   Before we get to that, did you know, coyotes now have dens in most every state? These Canis latrans (barking dogs) have lost their fear of humans in urban areas. 

   Males, called dogs, are closely related to the gray, eastern and red wolves, and are in the same eco niche as golden jackals in Eurasia. They weigh up to 44 pounds and can run 40 mph. 

   A female is called a bitch, and howls when looking for a mate. Pups can be tamed and trained, but as adults they are, well...

   They feed on deer, sheep, cattle, goats - even rattlesnakes. Coyotes come in low, then go for the throat, flanks, hindquarters, skull and spinal regions, depending on the prey. 

   Most attacks on humans occur in Los Angeles County - a sanctuary for undocumented canines - averaging about 10 per year. 

   Here in Florida by the sea we're trying to learn their language: 

woofs, growls, huffs, barks, yelps, whines, wow-oo-wow's and yips. 

Some sounds mean alarm, some mean contact, and others, greeting. 

   This knowledge will help me, like tonight when I have to go outside to unplug our Christmas lights. I must protect my hindquarters; besides, I can't run 40 mph.

   I'll just post this for fun, and write Monday's real blog when I return safely to my den tonight. 

      Jimmy      ...prey for me