Nature, Red in Tooth and Claw

A coyote approaches seals at Point Reyes (Mercury photo)

A marine scientist has found what's causing the decapitation of seals on the California coast:

So when his camouflaged cameras captured coyotes attacking harbor seal pups, [Frankie] Gerraty wasn’t shocked. “Coyotes are underappreciated predators in shoreline ecosystems, and marine mammals are the largest and most calorically rich nutrient parcels in the ocean, and really anywhere in the world,” Gerraty said.

Why they only eat the pups’ heads, however, is still unclear.

The coyotes’ taste for marine mammals could be genuinely new, or it could be that researchers are just beginning to notice it. It might also be the resurrection of a habit that existed when large predators from coyotes to Grizzly bears freely roamed the California coast before they were hunted down by ranchers determined to protect their livestock.

Through the first half of the 20th century both seals and coyotes were killed and/or driven off by California hunters and ranchers. Now that both populations are coming back because of legal protections, we may be witnessing the rebirth of ancient interactions:

Whether the coyotes’ behavior is new, a resurrection of old relationships, or something scientists have simply just noticed, it is providing researchers with a unique opportunity to study the interaction between two native species. “

The natural world isn't a petting zoo.