"For nearly a decade, Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay has been home to what the state parks describes as a budding population of coyotes. Late last month park workers got a fascinating glimpse at the animal's journey to the island. Angel Island staffers traveling by boat saw a coyote swimming along Raccoon Strait, and filmed it paddling across the deep waterway between the island and mainland Marin county."
"A breeding pair of the animal first arrived to the island in 2017 and over the years have gradually [filled] a new mammalian predator niche, according to the state park. But their presence was so unexpected that initial sightings of the animal were dismissed. Park staffers believe the animals doggy paddled a mile across a strong current from Tiburon to Angel Island."
"Researchers with the California department of fish and wildlife (CDFW) have been studying the phenomenon and found in 2024 there were between 14 to 17 coyotes, about a third of which were female. The animals were all related and have one, now deceased, mother or grandmother, according to the state park. The growing population on the island comes as coyotes are expanding their presence across the Bay area."
Angel Island hosts a growing coyote population that originated from a breeding pair that arrived in 2017. Park staff observed a coyote swimming across Raccoon Strait, paddling between the island and mainland Marin County, and returning to the island. CDFW researchers counted 14 to 17 related coyotes in 2024, about a third female, descended from one now-deceased matriarch. Coyotes have expanded across the Bay Area into Marin and San Francisco, with occasional exploratory crossings such as the Golden Gate Bridge. Ferry workers and park staff have recorded rare swimming sightings. The population fills a new mammalian predator niche on the island.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]