File:Canis latrans (prairie wolf; coyote) 3 (49672127222).jpg

Canis latrans Say, 1823 - prairie wolf (mount, Valley of Fire State Park visitor center, Nevada, USA)

Mammals are the dominant group of terrestrial vertebrates on Earth today. The group is defined based on a combination of features: endothermic (= warm-blooded), air-breathing, body hair, mother's milk, four-chambered heart, large brain-to-body mass ratio, two teeth generations, differentiated dentition, and a single lower jawbone. Almost all modern mammals have live birth - exceptions are the duck-billed platypus and the echidna, both of which lay eggs.

Mammals first appear in the Triassic fossil record - they evolved from the therapsids (mammal-like reptiles). Mammals were mostly small and a minor component of terrestrial ecosystems during the Mesozoic. After the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction at 65 million years ago, the mammals underwent a significant adaptive radiation - most modern mammal groups first appeared during this radiation in the early Cenozoic (Paleocene and Eocene).

Three groups of mammals exist in the Holocene - placentals, marsupials, and monotremes. Other groups, now extinct, were present during the Mesozoic.

The prairie wolf, also known as a coyote, is native to most of North America and Central America. Prairie wolves are omnivores, but they are principally predators of various vertebrates.

From exhibit signage:

A coyote's diet consists of 60% meat and 40% plant matter such as grasses, seeds, fruits, and flowers. Coyotes are collie-sized canines with gray fur and a bushy tail, which is held low when running. This dog-like animal is found throughout the western mountain region in all habitats.

Classification: Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Mammalia, Carnivora, Canidae

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