A Rarely Discussed Aspect of Coyote Sniffing During Mating Season
The coyote mating season has arrived, and, with that, the alpha pairs are on edge. All interactions are on the brink of becoming a skirmish, mate guarding is on the rise, and sniffing is constant. All behaviors I had read about and understood until I photographed something that made me question why one component of sniffing gets very little attention.
The coyote mating season has arrived, and with that, the alpha pairs are on edge. All interactions are on the brink of becoming a skirmish, mate guarding is on the rise, and sniffing is constant. I had read about and understood these behaviors until I photographed something that made me question why one component of sniffing gets very little attention.
Importance of Sniffing
Female coyotes only come into estrus once per year, so determining where a female coyote is in that cycle is of prime importance to a male coyote. A study[i] conducted by Debra A. Carlson and Eric M. Gese in 2008 observed that male coyotes engaged in “olfactory sampling” (sniffing the female’s body) in the run up to mating.
Another study[ii] by Marc Bekoff and Judy Diamond noted that starting in late November, the male would “sniff intensively around the areas in which she had previously urinated.”
Janet Kessler, a naturalist with 17+ years of experience observing coyote behaviors, also mentioned that coyotes can “smell hormones, pheromones, and an array of body chemicals” in this entry[iii] on her blog, Coyote Yipps. So, while there may be a myriad of ways for a male coyote to determine whether a mate is in estrus, it appears to be accepted that sniffing is a key method.
What About Female Coyotes?
The studies I referenced earlier and, in fact, all the scientific literature I’ve read on this topic only references male coyotes sniffing the female’s body or urine. That’s surprising and seems to fit a narrative that once the mating season arrives, males are always ready to mate and are just waiting for females to consent. Something about that just doesn’t seem right.
It is important to note that male coyotes only produce sperm once per year, so a coyote pair does face pressure to ensure their biological clocks are in sync. I would like to confirm if female coyotes can also use sniffing to assess a potential mate’s reproductive state.
Potential Evidence of Female Sniffing
I recently witnessed a female coyote sniffing the spot where her mate had just urinated. What was she trying to learn? Could the female determine where her mate was in the sperm production cycle by sniffing his urine? And if so, what would the female do if she could decipher that the male wasn’t ready? Would she be able to regulate her own cycle to match his? If she could determine whether their cycles were not in sync, would she look for another mate?
The photos below show a sequence where the male urinates, and the female sniffs the urine spot. Immediately afterward, the female urinated in a nearby location and walked to join her mate, who then walked to the spot where the female urinated and gave that a good sniff. Essentially, the pair sniffed each other’s urine before carrying on with their day, leaving me with so many questions.
Citations
[i] Debra A. Carlson, Eric M. Gese, Reproductive Biology of the Coyote (Canis latrans): Integration of Mating Behavior, Reproductive Hormones, and Vaginal Cytology, Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 89, Issue 3, 5 June 2008, Pages 654–664, https://doi.org/10.1644/06-MAMM-A-436R1.1
[ii] Marc Bekoff, Judy Diamond, Precopulatory and Copulatory Behavior in Coyotes, Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 57, Issue 2, 20 May 1976, Pages 372–375, https://doi.org/10.2307/1379696
[iii] Janet Kessler, Blog: Coyote Yipps, Blog Entry: Smelling Intelligence, Date: 8 January, 2022
