Coyotes are on South Padre Island, they are on the beach, and they are the mammal most likely to
generate a real human-wildlife problem here. TPWD gives their Texas distribution as the entire state
and NSRL's account is a single word: statewide. Adults run about 1.2 m in total length and 14 to
20 kg (NSRL); TPWD describes an animal like a small German shepherd at 25 to 40 pounds, with long
legs, big ears and a black-tipped tail carried down when running, which is the field mark that
separates a coyote from a fox at distance.
They are dietary opportunists, and a barrier island suits an opportunist. TPWD lists rabbits,
rodents and insects as the staples, with carrion, reptiles, fruit, vegetable matter and fish taken
as available; NSRL's Texas stomach-content data found carrion dominant in winter and rodents,
rabbits, birds and fruit rising in the warm months. On South Padre that translates into jackrabbits,
cotton rats, ghost crabs, washed-up fish, sea turtle and shorebird eggs, and — the part that causes
trouble — anything left at a beach campsite. Breeding runs from mid-January into early March, with
litters of about five to seven pups after roughly 63 days, and the den is typically abandoned by
late June or early July (TPWD; NSRL). NSRL notes that they are among the most vocal North American
mammals, which is why the night chorus from the flats carries so far across a quiet island.
Guidance for visitors is in the "Living alongside them" section below.
Observe responsibly
Wildlife, tides and access conditions change. Keep a respectful distance, do not feed wildlife, stay out of dunes and marked nesting areas, and use current official rules before fishing or handling any catch.