When it comes to fearious predators, coyotes are one of the tops. Thanks to their cunning hunting abilities and sinister howls, these weathered critters have long been the stuff of legend. But while coyotes may be skilled hunters, it’s not always they hunt the same way. So why do coyotes eat their prey alive?
The Short Answer…
In general, coyotes are not above eating their prey alive unless its a larger prey.
When hunting, coyotes commonly exhaust and kill their prey with a quick bite to the neck or back of the head or throat, unless the prey is large. In this case of larger prey, coyotes will work together to take down the prey and eat alive.
In some cases, however, coyotes will decide to eat their prey alive. This gruesome practice is usually reserved for larger prey, such as deer or livestock.
Why Do Coyotes Eat Their Prey Alive?
While coyotes are opportunistic predators, they will hunt whatever prey is available and easy to catch. But if there’s no easy prey, they have to go for larger and stronger prey cow, sheep or deer. In this case, coyotes hunt in packs and work together for taking down the prey but start eating the prey without killing. But why? Here’s why.
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Escape or Attack
The simple reason coyotes often eat their prey alive is because of the prey might escape or fight back. It is easier to catch a running prey than to kill it first.
By contrast, if a coyote tries to kill its prey before eating it, there is a risk that the prey will escape or fight back.
Live prey also contains more moisture than dead prey, which is important for coyotes since they do not typically drink water. Instead, they get most of the water they need from the moisture in their food. This is why coyotes often choose to eat their prey alive.
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Steal Prey From Them
Many people think that coyotes are cruel because they often eat their prey alive. However, if the coyote were to kill its prey before eating, it would have to expend a lot of energy doing so. But that’s not the main reason.
Actually, they are doing meals before any larger predator arrives and steals prey from them.
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Easier Than Kill
Coyotes are often portrayed as ruthless predators, and with good reason. They are known to attack lambs, calves, and even full-grown sheep and cows.
For one thing, eating an animal alive may simply be easier than killing it first. When coyotes kill their prey, they typically do so by biting the neck or back of the animal’s skull, crushing the spine. This can be difficult to do, especially if the animal is struggling to get away. By contrast, consuming an animal alive requires much less effort. The coyote can simply bite into the animal’s flesh and tear it away.
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No Compassion
As brutal as it seems, it’s actually crueler than that. Most predators and coyotes do not have compassion and have no feeling for their prey no matter if its small, baby or pregnant. It’s just food for them and they have no feeling of pain, sympathy or affection. Coyotes are not aware of the pain that they are inflicting on their prey.
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No Awareness
Although it may seem brutal, it’s actually more lack of awareness. That means, coyotes and other predators do not have awareness of whether the prey is feeling pain, crying or moaning.
While this may seem like a gruesome way to hunt, it is actually an efficient way for coyotes to kill their prey.
By eating their prey alive, coyotes can avoid wasting time and energy chasing down struggling prey. Lastly, eating live prey is an effective hunting strategy
Where Do They Start Eating Alive Prey From?
Although when coyotes attack its prey, they will go for the neck, head or throat first. This is because the jugular vein is the largest and fastest way to bleed out and kill their prey. But sometimes when hunting large prey, coyotes may start eating prey alive but where do they start from? Here’s where.
When starting to eat alive their prey, coyotes will start from the back actually between the two back legs, tearing off this part is easier than any other part. And not only coyotes, but wild dogs, hyenas and komodo dragons all start eating their prey alive from this place.
Which Preys Do Coyotes Eat Alive?
Coyotes are notorious for their hunting skills, often working in pairs or packs to take down their prey.
While they will scavenge when the opportunity, coyotes typically prefer to kill their own food. Smaller prey, such as rodents and rabbits, are usually dispatched quickly with a bite to the neck.
Larger prey, such as deer, can be more challenging to take down. In these cases, coyotes will often go for the throat, trying to sever the jugular vein and cause the animal to bleed out. But coyotes have been known to eat their large prey alive while it is still struggling. However, this is not the preferred method of hunting for coyotes, and they will only resort to it if they are desperate or if the prey is particularly large.
But which preys do coyotes eat alive? Well, here are some of the common ones.
- Deer
- Klipspringers
- wilderbeast
- waterbuck
- entelope
- bushbuck
- wolves
How Do Coyotes Hunt Large Preys?
While they typically hunt alone or in pairs, they will sometimes form packs to take down larger prey. When hunting large animals, coyotes will often use their keen sense of smell to track their prey. With their eyesight, speed and endurance, they wear down their target.
Once they have located their target, they will rush in packs and start following and bitting from back. And saves from the attack of the prey and avoids being caught while they close in for the kill.
Coyotes will often team up with one another to bring down larger prey and use different tactics such as distracting the animal while others attack from behind. Due to their hunting skills, coyotes are able to take down prey that is much larger than themselves.
With these strategies, coyotes will exhaust and tire out until the prey capitulates and sits down. And that is when coyotes either start biting from the throat to kill or start eating alive. If the prey is large enough, coyotes may start eating it immediately.
Do Coyotes Eat Your Pets?
While it is certainly tempting to believe that our pets are safe from predators when they are confined to our yards, the truth is that coyotes pose a serious threat to small animals.
These cunning creatures are proficient hunters and are capable of killing animals as large as deer. In fact, coyotes will eat just about anything they can catch, including household pets. Here are the signs that a coyote killed your pet.
Unfortunately, there have been a number of reports of coyotes attacking and killing pets in residential areas. While it is impossible to completely protect our furry friends from these dangers, pet owners can take steps to reduce the risk of an attack.
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Keep Pets Indoors At Night
Keep your pets indoors at night, and supervise them closely when they are outside during the day.
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Install Fence
If you live in an area where coyotes are known to frequent, consider installing a fence or using pepper spray to deter them. By taking these precautions, you can help to keep your beloved pet safe from harm.
