The photo on the left was taken in January when the coyote had her full winter coat. The photo on the right is the same coyote taken in June as she was losing her winter coat and developing a much cooler summer coat. Her back still has some of the winter coat, while her legs, abdomen, and rear are showing the summer coat.

The fur in the winter coat is 3 to 4 inches long and makes a coyote appear much larger and heavier than is actually the case. Their bodies remain lean under the fur. People who are not aware of the differences between the winter and summer coats sometimes mistakenly think it is a different coyote or that the coyote has become malnourished and lost weight.

This is the alpha female coyote in the group at Metzger Farm Open Space in Westminster and Broomfield, Colorado.

Photograph by Jim Kennedy