I’ve been photographing coyotes on Antelope Island and elsewhere for many years now and this was the most perplexing behavior I’ve ever seen.
Please bear with me while I set the stage so readers will be able to fully understand what went down.
I photographed this Western Meadowlark early in the morning but in order to get a decent light angle on it I had to pull past it on the road and then angle my pickup so I could shoot back at it from the left side of the road. So try to imagine where I was relative to the road – my pickup was at an angle with the left front tire several feet off the road and my ass end hanging out into the left lane. That time of morning on a weekday I have the island virtually to myself but I was still concerned about the possibility of a stray vehicle coming along while I was looking through my lens so I had both my passenger side window and my rear sliding window open so I’d be able to hear any vehicle that might approach.
Right after I took this shot of the meadowlark something really bizarre happened.
Suddenly I could hear through my open passenger window the sound of what I immediately presumed to be a dog running very, very fast on the road toward me. It was the sound of padded feet hitting the pavement and the slight clicking of toenails and I could tell the “dog” was running as fast as it could, possibly in a panic. Then as the dog passed the rear of my pickup I could actually hear it panting loudly as if it was exhausted. It obviously stayed on the road so it had to pass within about 15′ of my pickup.
My initial reaction was anger because someone had obviously let their dog run loose illegally and I thought it might be chasing wildlife.
But almost immediately after it passed by me I could see it out my drivers side window and it wasn’t a dog, at least not a domestic one.
It was a coyote and it was really hauling ass. It took me several seconds to get my lens on it but when it had been closer to me than this I could see it’s tongue hanging out so it had apparently been running for some time. Coyotes can run up to 40mph or more and this guy was doing his best to beat that record. I’ve never before seen a coyote running anywhere near this fast and it seemed to be in a panic.
I got off five quick shots in a burst before it disappeared around a curve and down a slope.
So I quickly chased after it to see if I could locate it again. At first I couldn’t so I turned around again to continue my search for birds but then I spotted it once more on my right and about 100 yards away. It was still running like a bat out of hell as it disappeared over the top of a hill.
On both occasions I could see for a long ways behind and in front the coyote and there was nothing chasing it nor was it chasing anything in front of it. I can think of only one possible explanation for what I’d seen. Coyote fights can be vicious so I suppose it’s possible that this animal had a confrontation with another coyote some time before I saw it and it was still trying to escape its tormentor who had been left far behind.
During the drive home I puzzled about what I’d seen but I still can’t explain it with any confidence.
Ron
Ron, beautiful Meadowlark wondering what is going on.
Amazing that in your two photos the coyote has no feet on the ground and in the other only one foot. As you said, he was hustling, for some reason. I like the comments about the tucked tail. Thank you for sharing your adventure, Ron
I think he spent more time sailing through the air than he did with even one foot on the ground, Alice. Thanks.
That poor coyote.
Panic like that is tiring enough without running full pelt.
The Meadow Lark certainly seems to be saying ‘he went thataway’…
EC, I never thought about the meadowlark seeing the coyote before I did but I’ll bet it did.
I have seen this behavior once, and got some dimly lit photos. A yearling male coyote came bursting out of a stand of trees, crossed the road, coursed through the meadow where bucks were browsing. One of the bucks turned to face Coyote, as if to ask what he was escaping. The coyote actually paused for 1 second (on my camera clock) to look at the buck and kept going, up out of the meadow, across a gravel road, into the next meadow and out of sight. The buck by now was surrounded by other bucks and after a short while they left the meadow together, as though they had caucused and concluded “If that thing is scared, we’re gone.” I pondered the questions “what does Coyote run from for an extended run like that? And where will he stop?” I came up with these hypotheses: 1. A lion was after him. We have female mountain lions here. Coyote went for a cub, lioness went for him, and he wanted to put as much space between himself and herself as he could. 2. He’d been stung by a scorpion or hornet and started running to escape the pain. 3. This is the theory I favor: Something started him running. The amygdala sends a strong stress signal, the hypothalamus turns on the sympathetic nervous system, the adrenal glands send out the flight hormone – epinephrine aka adrenaline – into the blood stream. Now this part is from the Harvard Med School info: “After the first surge of epinephrine subsides, the hypothalamus activates the second component of the stress response system — known as the HPA axis. This network consists of the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands.
“The HPA axis relies on a series of hormonal signals to keep the sympathetic nervous system — the “gas pedal” — pressed down. If the brain continues to perceive something as dangerous, the hypothalamus releases corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which travels to the pituitary gland, triggering the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). This hormone travels to the adrenal glands, prompting them to release cortisol. The body thus stays revved up and on high alert. When the threat passes, cortisol levels fall. The parasympathetic nervous system — the “brake” — then dampens the stress response.”
Interesting stuff, Martha. Whatever the catalyst was in this case the coyote had oodles of adrenalin surging through his system, that’s for sure.
That Meadowlark definitely knows something’s up. All I can think of is poor coyote. This sounds like it is much beyond the “zoomies” that canines do.
Tail carriage is difficult to discern, at least on my laptop screen. I’m not sure if it is tucked or carried low and straight and you’re shot is looking right at the tip and aligned with the angle of the tail. If he’s really hauling ass, I’d guess that a tucked tail might impede his gait a bit.
It’s tough to tell from just two shots, but if these two shots are in sequence, he looks to be running in a rotatory gallop (right rear, left rear, left front, right front with air time between rear strikes and front strikes and vice versa). Rotatory gallop is the fastest — and most fatiguing — of carnivore locomotion because of the increased involvement of the trunk muscles.
Yes, he was really hauling ass, Marty – going just as fast as he could go.
Thanks for that info on carnivore locomotion – very interesting! And yes, the two shots are in sequence.
Glad I got to use my kinesiology degree a little today. 😉
Fascinating! And puzzling.
Thanks, Shelley.
What an interesting Blog and pictures. Thanks enjoyed the comments about it.
Thank you, Trudy.
Could it have possibly gotten into a bees nest or a swarm of some kind of bees or hornets ?? From what I have seen here in New England a confrontation between males usually ends quickly with one leaving quickly but not running for as long as you describe………….
I don’t think it would run that fast for so long to escape stinging insects, Gary. But what do I know…
Could be living proof of that old blues song “Wouldn’t be so much huntin’ if the rabbit had a gun”.
You sure you didn’t see the Road Runner ahead of Mr. W.E. Coyote?
Looks like the Meadow Lark turned its head, too, as the coyote flew by.
I like that quote, Lyle – never heard it before.
Ron,I’ve witnessed this this same situation on the east side of the island. A coyote was running east along the chain link fence so fast you’d think it had just been branded by the devil. By the time it crossed the road to the ranch I expected to see what it was running from., but nothing ever appeared. This was during a low rabbit cycle on the island. My thoughts are it was kicked out of the pack by one mean alpha male and wasn’t about to stop running until it had plenty of ground behind it. This would be their way of reducing the pack size in relation to the rabbit population.
I saw something similar to what you describe on the east side of the island too, Sterling. Only in my case the “chase” was more of a marathon than a sprint.
Very interesting Ron. First things first – definitely a beautiful photo of the Western Meadowlark. There does not appear to be anything in front that the coyote is chasing, and nothing came behind him that was chasing him. Maybe he ran into a pack of Javelinas who attacked him and sent him off in a panic. Do you have Javelinas there? I would think the coyote would be more apt to run that fast after prey than to run from something, but there was nothing visible that you could see. I have seen coyotes running many times, but never that fast. Their hearing is extraordinary. I think maybe he or she was out hunting, but then heard the pups back at the den crying out, or even his or her mate urgently calling out.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
Nope, we don’t have javelinas, Everett.
I guess the mystery will remain unsolved, but that is certainly an odd behavior. Thanks for letting us perplex with you!
Odd indeed, Ken.
Perplexing… I know in some areas, poisons are set out for ‘nuisance animals’, though I don’t suppose the area in which you were photographing that would be the case. I wondered if there might have been a panic response based on something he might have ingested, or if he had bitten down on some stinging insect or something that might have triggered a full-scale rout.
I’m not assuming these guesses are correct, but wonder if there are other possibilities along that line that might pertain. Love the meadowlark photo, by the way!
Alison, Antelope Island is a state park. All wildlife is protected so poisons (and hunting) are prohibited.
That IS strange!……. Appears it’s tail is REALLY tucked or part is missing – probably just the angle of your photo….. I’ve never seen them run full tilt for any further than necessary which, usually, isn’t very far – they aren’t into wasting energy. Wonder if some sort of insect was tormenting it?
Interesting observation regarding the tail, Judy. I looked at my other three photos of the coyote and the tail appears to be tucked but I can’t be sure.
All I can think is, “Run, Forrest. Run!”
🙂