A coyote is a wild dog that looks like a small wolf. Coyotes live in nearly every US state, and in most of Canada as well.
A coyote is a canine, a relative of the domesticated dog and the wolf. Coyotes are distinctive, different from wolves, because of their relatively small size, delicate paws, and large ears. The word coyote is Mexican Spanish, from an Aztec root, cóyotl, or "trickster." The scientific name of the coyote is Canis latrans, "barking dog" in Latin.
Another informal meaning of coyote, used mainly in the US southwest and Mexico, is a smuggler of illegal immigrants.
