What would happen if the coyote population decreased? Why?

There would be fewer coyotes. Nothing much would happen. There were fewer coyotes for a long while as they were hunted near to extinction.

Acme Rockets, inc. would go out of business.

@lexipoorocks Lotsa bunnies and other small animals. In my old neighborhood you could let the cats out at night to run. Had a neighbor that lost two or three cats at night over a five year period, never found remains….

There would probably be an temporary increase in small rodent populations, which would probably be balanced by an increase in other small preditors like foxes, wolves, wild cats, etc. It would be sad, because I like to see small preditors on occasion, and I don’t think coyotes do much harm.
@Tropical_Willie Sorry about your neighbor’s cats. Everyone should keep their cats in at night.

People would start claiming that we must hunt the Coyotes’ natural prey to control the population. sigh. And Phoenix would need to change its hockey team name.

As has already happened in the history of the US, elimination of predators results in an overabundance of prey. In the case of coyotes, probably mice, rats, rabbits, etc, although some small species in certain ecosystems will crash when they reach starvation rates.

Multiple studies have found that the presence of predators actually improves the overall health of prey populations. The reason we have white tailed deer infesting our yards and smashing our cars is that we have eliminated or nearly eliminated their natural populations control (wolves, bears, cougars).

Goddamn roadrunners would be even more annoying. Probably get all arrogant and uppity. “Where’s your Wile E. now huh?” Yes they would be intolerable
Beep beep yer ass bitches

Nature would find some way to restore the balance of prey and predators. It might be messy, disease, starvation etc or some other animal would take the coyotes place in the food chain. Here something I find interesting. Coyotes were always solitary creatures. With the removal of wolves to control their numbers, they are learning to hunt in packs in my area. I have had packs of ten or more coyotes run right through my yard in pursuit of deer. Nature finds some way to restore a balance.

word @Adirondackwannabe word.

Small (and not so small) rodents would thrive and take over any unimproved uncontrolled open space. Ask anyone who lives in Colorado about prairie dogs. Their natural predator, the black-footed ferret, was virtually taken out of the ecosystem long ago, and now the prairie dogs pop up in any vacant lot.

@JeanPaulSartre Word?

i guess i should have waited to make response about the Road Runner population..i forgot that you aren’t supposed to make a “joke” for the first response. i just couldn’t resist since the question said to be “creative”..i think that is the first time i have ever been moderated! haha

@Adirondackwannabe
To your mother

@Adirondackwannabe word. as in… I agree. (...and I’m something of a geek. lol.)

the rabbit population would explode, then because of that, you get a higher coyote population, then there’s the natural die- offs, it’s a cycle

@SeventhSense To my mother?

@Adirondackwannabe
Just an emphasis on word. Like most true…hard to explain and if you have to it kind of falls flat.
You need to get out of the Adirondacks and head south to the city. Even perusing my slang dictionary link may not help..pretty funny actually an urban dictionary..but don’t feel so bad. I never new geek speak like leet before fluther either

It would be horrific. The housecat population has already ballooned out of control WITH ample coyotes present. Without coyotes, the house cat population would increase to epidemic proportions. They are vital to helping maintain a healthy balance to things. If you want fewer coyotes, start neutering cats. The coyotes will self-regulate to the available food supply.

I like this question. The Coyote scare me. Thanks for asking it.

Thanks guys with the help on my geek speak. We don’t get out much in upstate NY. I think indoor plumbing is coming next month. The coyotes aren’t scary, you just have to respect that they are wild animals. You never really know how a wild animal will react so just be a little careful.

There would be alot more wabbits and pomeranians.

@Adirondackwannabe I hear them in the middle of the night, sometimes waking me from my sleep. They sound like they are in a pack and are in the throws of killing some other animal. Scary.

We don’t get Coyote’s here, but I would like to see one…...maybe…....from afar.

@Adirondackwannabe
Many people forget about our beautiful and wild interior here in the Empire State. My parents had a place on a lake in the Adirondacks. It was beautiful.
P.S.—Coyotes have even been spotted as far south as the Bronx which also is surprisingly quite rustic in places

The sound they make when a pack goes after something is amazing. It sends a chill down your back because they so wild and the sound is like nothing else.

More rodents stealing your gardenz.

@SeventhSense Which lake?

@Adirondackwannabe
It was in Wells. I forget the name.

@SeventhSense Near Speculator?

Yes

@SeventhSense Was it Sacandaga? I mangled the spelling.

@SeventhSense Or was it Algonquin?

There was a road that circled the perimeter. I think it was Sacandaga

@SeventhSense Somehow I never envisioned the Bronx as rustic. Oh, well, live and learn!

@Yetanotheruser
Some areas are in the way north are. It’s actually the only borough connected to the mainland of the continent. And even the areas of urban blight so well documented by the press in the 1970’s are nothing what they used to be and were really relegated to a small section of the South Bronx. It’s nothing like an area like Detroit which has a serious lack of industry and major problems.
The coyotes may be following wild turkeys. which they say may even be in Central Park! The Bronx and Harlem were historically the epitome of uptown living at one time in old NY. And the thing with NY is that there is such rapid change in a neighborhood that the gentrification of an area can spring up virtually overnight as millions pour into the real estate. Harlem is a perfect example block by block it’s reclaimed.
And you can still find steals like this at 3 million
just a little bigger than my rental :)

@SeventhSense and @Yetanotheruser Oh definitely… City Island is a part of the Bronx, but it isn’t even recognizable as part of NYC. It’s pretty exclusive, and only has one small bridge connecting it to the mainland.

@JeanPaulSartre
Yes perfect example. I mean you have to remember it was the seat of the US government (US capital) as well as the preeminent port in the Western world.

@SeventhSense Yeah… NYC is full of surprises!

You could spend a lifetime and not even eat in all the restaurants or scratch the surface of its history.
Like Woody Allen, I adore her.