Yellowstone: Realm of the Coyote

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Yellowstone:
Realm of the Coyote

It's a world forged

by fire and ice...

a wonderland with jagged edges.

Born of a cataclysmic eruption

nearly two million years ago

it's been exploding ever since...

...Yellowstone.

This is the first national park

on earth and perhaps

still the greatest.

A primeval landscape of water,

light - and extraordinary life.

Over the eons,

Yellowstone has become

an American Serengeti

home to one of the most diverse

communities of large mammals

on the continent...

...home to the great Wyoming herds.

For thousands of years

the call of one great predator

has rung out across the wilderness.

The call of the coyote.

It's not the largest or fiercest

of Yellowstone's creatures.

But it may well be

the most cunning

According to one proverb...

"Next to God, the coyote is

the smartest person on earth."

If it seems almost human,

that's because like us,

the coyote is both cowardly

and brave - a schemer...

...and an opportunist.

Above all, the coyote is a survivor.

It was present at the birth

of Yellowstone.

It has outlasted the Ice Age,

the Stone Age, famines, floods;

and still, it's going strong.

Nearly 1,000 coyotes live

in Yellowstone.

This could be the story

of almost any one.

Let's call this one Cain

short for the coyote's Latin name,

Canis latrans the "talking dog."

Over the next four seasons,

he will face the greatest trials.

This is the story of that year,

a year of perils...

...a year of struggle...

a year through the eyes

of Yellowstone's coyote.

Wandering across the vast horizon,

coyotes like Cain watch over

Yellowstone.

At three years old,

Cain weighs 35 pounds

big for most of North America,

but average in the park.

Like most coyotes here,

Cain is a member of a pack

not a leader, just an underling.

Usually, he hunts on his own.

But every day, he is pulled back

to his home, his family

the group that sustains him...

...his pack.

A family of up to a dozen coyotes

rules a territory of

a few square miles.

The top dogs - the leaders...

...are a single male...

...and his lifelong mate.

The rest are usually their offspring

a mob of siblings.

Packs are an uneasy blend

of competition and cooperation,

snarling and snuggling.

But for all the seeming affection,

when it comes to food,

there's always tension.

The young are the second-class

citizens of coyote society.

They must wait to eat...

...until after their parents

have had their fill.

Cain should know he'll also

have to wait his turn.

But sometimes the temptation,

the hunger is too great.

He needs to eat now.

It won't happen without a fight.

There's no welcome home here.

Bared teeth and arched back

show Cain's aggression.

But his tucked tail and other signs

tell the true story.

He's scared.

Now he'll have to learn

the hard way.

As in most coyote fights,

no blood is shed.

But the outcome is very real:

Cain will go hungry today.

Despite the conflict,

Cain gathers with his pack

his siblings, his rivals.

Life is more secure in a group

than alone.

Coyotes have more calls than any

other wild mammal of North America.

This group howl means

they're all still buddies.

As coyotes rule the land

in Yellowstone,

another animal dominates the water.

It's the one creature that

seems to enjoy this brutal season.

And it's having a blast,

an Arctic blast.

For the otter,

winter is a special playtime.

Any riverbank is an excuse

for a slide.

From the hills to the valleys

otters create their own highways.

For them, it's always rush hour.

Zipping along at about

it's clear they've raised

commuting to a high art.

With their insulating fur,

otters are as cozy beneath the ice

as on top of it.

And since open water can always

be found, even in winter...

otters don't face starvation like

most of Yellowstone's creatures.

Fish are abundant and sluggish

from the cold.

But catching the fish is

the easy part.

To eat it,

the otters have to surface.

And that's exactly where

the competition is waiting.

Cain's pack is on patrol.

Coyotes are patient hunters

with a talent for snatching

the prey of others.

But the feisty otters are

no pushovers.

Coyotes are most successful working

as a team.

The pack will stake out several holes.

But otters can usually find

an emergency exit.

And when menaced, they can work

as a team too.

Ever scheming, Cain sets his sights

on a new prize.

But there's no honor among thieves.

Cain's pack runs him down.

The dominant male has claimed

the meal as his own.

Once again, Cain is left frustrated.

Life in a pack can sometimes

seem unfair.

Winter for coyotes is breeding time.

Junior members of the pack are

supposed to spend this season

on the sidelines.

But tentatively, gingerly,

Cain begins to show an interest

in the top female.

The male leader won't put

up with it.

This is his mate - and his alone.

He lays down the law.

The ruling male has a dilemma.

Should he stay to guard his mate?

Should he head out after food?

Hunger wins out.

Or does it?

He can't make up his mind.

Cain sees an opportunity coming.

The leader has turned up a feast.

But Cain has turned up something

equally enticing.

As an underling,

Cain is supposed to help

raise the young, not sire them.

Cain has violated the laws

of the pack,

and now he's caught

in a compromising position.

The leaders head off,

but they're not through

with Cain yet.

The pack's sentence, when it comes...

...will be harsh.

The battered Cain will face

the worst penalty: expulsion.

The top male leads the final charge.

Cain's companions have cast him out.

Now exiled and vulnerable,

Cain will be forced to wander

the wilderness alone.

For a lone coyote,

the odds are never good.

Cain's chances of dying

this winter have just tripled.

All of Yellowstone's best turf

has been claimed by one pack

or another.

And so the outcast must now

prowl the borderlands.

Without a territory,

without partners,

finding food will be

a greater struggle.

In this winter's bleak landscape...

...even the carcasses are picked

to the bone.

Cain will have to take greater risks

to get meals that might have

come easily to the pack.

He is forced to go it alone against

creatures like the golden eagle.

With a wingspan of nearly

seven feet,

the eagle is a formidable opponent.

And it's not frightened of

a single coyote like Cain.

Cain's perils are, in fact,

just beginning.

Lone coyotes are wanderers

sometimes traveling 20 miles

in a single night

and Cain will have to travel far...

...to find food in a land

where he's not part of a pack.

His best hope is under the snow.

Rodents like the vole are

a coyote specialty.

Enough of these appetizers

and Cain will have a full meal.

Not that coyotes are finicky.

They'll eat almost anything

from grasshoppers to cows.

It's been said,

"a coyote's favorite food is

anything he can chew."

When it comes to hunting voles,

the coyote is a skilled performer.

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