From Janet Kessler's great COYOTE YIPPS BLOG, a visual pictorial of the affection that pair-mated Coyotes exhibit toward each other, the same as their cousin canid, the Wolf---"Getting to know you, Getting to know all about you"............."Getting to like you, Getting to hope you like me"

https://coyoteyipps.com/2018/11/12/in-harmony/

by: Janet Kessler(story and all photos of Coyotes greater San Francisco)

IN HARMONY

"Getting to know you,
Getting to know all about you"
"Getting to like you,Getting to hope you like me"

In this posting, I want to show the amazingly joyous tuned-in camaraderie, if you will, that is displayed between these two coyotes. The rapport is fascinating, with the coyotes not only walking side-by-side, constantly looking at each other, and even hunting alongside each other, but in addition, you can see that they are blatantly thrilled with each other’s company! They are in-tune to each other’s moods and intentions, and they both are on the same wavelength as far as their “togetherness” is concerned.

I don’t remember ever watching two adult coyotes getting to know each other like this. In all the pairs I’ve been observing, I either came to an established pair, or siblings became a pair, or a youngster moved into a vacated adult position caused by a death — yes, there is a lot of inbreeding in coyotes, at least in San Francisco. But now I have an opportunity to document coyotes getting to know each other from the word “go”.

The pair just met a couple of months ago when the dispersing 1.5 year-old male appeared on the doorstep (footpath?) of the 3.5 year-old loner female’s territory: she had been living all alone there for three years, so this has been a huge change for her.  She welcomed him right from the start. From the beginning there was a lot of eye-contact, and snout-touches, but initially there was also tentativeness and carefulness which over the weeks has morphed into uninhibited displays of “oneness” and affection as trust has grown.

Eye-to-eye contact as they walk along: there’s rapport, harmony
 and 
they are in-tune

The photos show the magnetic draw between these two through their warmth and
enthusiastic reaching out for contact and even play-bites: these are “I like you”
 gestures. As an observer, I actually feel their affectionate engagement between them.

Eye to eye joy and zeroing in on each
other

Meeting “that special friend” is something most of us can relate to! My next posting about these two will be about their “checking in” with each other after a short period of being apart, with teasing and fun between them, which are what coyotes use to show each other how much they like each other, and how at-ease they are with one another.

Reaching towards the other with 

a 

little 

snout hug

Almost walking arm-in-arm

An affectionate gentle snout-bite as 

they 

walk along

Stopping for a short grooming — 

he’s 

picking a bug off her coat

Allowing him to share her “find”.

Leaning into each other for an affectionate 

face rub

Getting to know you,
Getting to know all about you.
Getting to like you,
Getting to hope you like me.

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