What Coyotes and Zombies Have in Common

Coyote with freshly killed harbor seal pup
at Bolinas Lagoon (Graves/SFGate)

Fourteen (14) months ago we wrote about the discovery that coyotes were responsible for decapitating baby seals on California coasts. Scientists now think they know why:

Going for the brains first might seem unusual, but it’s probably a matter of convenience — and a behavior that’s been observed in other carnivores before, [UCSC PhD student Frankie] Gerraty said. Hyenas on the coast of Namibia have been seen killing seals by crushing their skulls and consuming the brains, and wolves in Alaska and British Columbia have been known to chew off the heads of salmon, potentially to avoid tapeworms and other parasites found in the rest of the fish’s raw flesh.

With coyotes and harbor seals on Northern California beaches, “it’s likely that they’re trying to eat through the head because it’s not only the easiest part of the body to access with the thinnest layer of blubber, but the brain also has the highest nutritional value,” Gerraty explained.

The skull of a harbor seal pup isn't much thicker than an eggshell when they are born, and a coyote can easily crack into it with its teeth in several places, sometimes accessing more of the pup's flesh by tugging on the head with its jaws and holding the carcass down with its front paws, he said.

“The fact that some of the skulls are going missing could be because they can easily carry them back to their dens for their young to consume," he continued. Much of this is happening during peak pupping season for coyotes in the spring.”