Coyote: Defiant Songdog of the West

by François Leydet

"The Songdog sings an ancient song. It echoed over the Western plains and deserts long before man was there to hear it. The singer and the song have survived the mastodon, the mammoth, the elephants and the camels that once roamed this continent. The coyote’s voice has not been stilled. Not even by man...In ’The Coyote,’ the reader will find many books in one. It is a biography that traces the life story of one coyote from birth to adulthood; an historical and current description of predator control; a sometimes violent adventure story; and, most of all, an examination of creature physchology."–Anaheim Bulletin

"The viewpoints of both rancher and environmentalist are presented in this intelligent, often shocking book on the emotional coyote controversy. The amazing adaptability of this small predator leads the author to question humankind’s right to interfere with nature. Unusual illustrations depict the coyote’s desert life."–American West

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Natural History, Environment, Westerns

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was not lost on me that when I first heard news of the terrorist attacks in Paris I was holding a book by a gentleman named François Leydet. The Coyote: Defiant Songdog of the West is very much about survival against sometimes terrifying odds. But the endangered species Leydet writes about is not so much the coyote as it is homo sapiens. Leydet lays out facts supporting the idea that canis latrans is a symbol of the stumbling blocks we face as a society. The coyote will survive no matter what we do with it or to it: short of nuclear annihilation. Our survival, however, depends much on how we learn to treat other species, and other people, in ways that respect their place in the world we share. Unless our outlook rises above partially informed self-interest we will remain in a contest for the world's resources without recourse to knowledge that might save us.

If you only read one book about coyotes, you'd do well to choose this one.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coyotes are as controversial among city dwellers as they are among ranchers. I read this at a time when I wanted more insight into the controversy and coyote biology.

[Owen Curtsinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tactful, heartfelt, and beautiful discussion of both sides of the oft-debated and misunderstood coyote...perhaps more misunderstood than the wolf.

[Peg Schoenfelder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating study of this pervasive predator.