Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History
Jun 2016 · Sold by Basic Books
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14 reviews
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About this ebook
The “engaging” (New Yorker), New York Times best-selling story of how coyotes took over North America—and are now taking over South America as well
Finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award
"A masterly synthesis of scientific research and personal observation."—Wall Street Journal
Legends don’t come close to capturing the incredible survival story of the coyote. In the face of centuries of annihilation campaigns employing poisons, gases, helicopters, and bioweapons, coyotes didn’t just survive, they thrived, expanding across North America from Alaska to Florida and New York, and now, as this new edition explores, to South America as well. In the war between humans and coyotes, coyotes have won hands-down.
Coyote America traces both the five-million-year-long biological story of coyotes, as well as their cultural evolution from preeminence in Native American religions to haplessness before the Road Runner. A deeply American tale, the story of the coyote in the American West and then across the entire country is a sort of Manifest Destiny in reverse, with a pioneering hero whose career holds up an uncanny mirror to the successes and failures of American expansionism.
An illuminating biography of an extraordinary animal, Coyote America is one of the great epics of our time.
Finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award
"A masterly synthesis of scientific research and personal observation."—Wall Street Journal
Legends don’t come close to capturing the incredible survival story of the coyote. In the face of centuries of annihilation campaigns employing poisons, gases, helicopters, and bioweapons, coyotes didn’t just survive, they thrived, expanding across North America from Alaska to Florida and New York, and now, as this new edition explores, to South America as well. In the war between humans and coyotes, coyotes have won hands-down.
Coyote America traces both the five-million-year-long biological story of coyotes, as well as their cultural evolution from preeminence in Native American religions to haplessness before the Road Runner. A deeply American tale, the story of the coyote in the American West and then across the entire country is a sort of Manifest Destiny in reverse, with a pioneering hero whose career holds up an uncanny mirror to the successes and failures of American expansionism.
An illuminating biography of an extraordinary animal, Coyote America is one of the great epics of our time.
The “engaging” (New Yorker), New York Times best-selling story of how coyotes took over North America—and are now taking over South America as well
Finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award
"A masterly synthesis of scientific research and personal observation."—Wall Stre...
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Ratings and reviews
14 reviews
A Google user
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June 21, 2016
America’s history with the coyote is long and detailed, ranging from Native American legend and American species cleansing to the modern urban coyote populations. Dan Flores records that history here with a deliberate hand, full of respect and awe for the coyote without deifying them. This book is full of detail, and while far from comprehensive, it provides a digestible overview. Dan Flores writes in a vivid, evocative style without veering into self-indulgent purple prose. His book’s arc follows the coyote more or less chronologically, explaining the ins and outs of America’s complex relationship with them. Occasionally his own experiences are peppered in for a personal touch and connection to the animal. This book is recommended not just for animal enthusiasts or history buffs, but to anyone interested in the intriguing mythology and history of a remarkable creature. The legend of the coyote extends far beyond America’s attempted genocide, revealing a complex interspecies relation.
1 person found this review helpful
Kevin Boorer
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March 2, 2025
Dan Flores entwines history, story, personal experience, anthropology of an animal most on the continent are familiar with. He made it an interesting read, and now I'm probably really going to end up into the Barry Lopez and the Aldo Leopold
Ryan Hicks
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May 3, 2023
Fascinating animal
About the author
Dan Flores is the A. B. Hammond Professor Emeritus of Western History at the University of Montana and the author of eleven books on aspects of American history. Flores lives just outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Dan Flores is the A. B. Hammond Professor Emeritus of Western History at the University of Montana and the author of eleven books on aspects of American history. Flores lives just outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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