Coyote Canis Latrans Drinking From Fountain On Suburban Deck Royalty-Free Stock Photo

The coyote Canis latrans is a species of canine native to North America. Other names for the species, largely historical, include the prairie wolf and the brush wolf. The species is versatile, able to adapt to and expand into environments modified by humans. The coyote is a prominent character in Native American folklore, mainly in Aridoamerica, usually depicted as a trickster that alternately assumes the form of an actual coyote or a man. As with other trickster figures, the coyote uses deception and humor to rebel against social conventions. The animal was especially respected in Mesoamerican cosmology as a symbol of military might.