Coyotes are now present in almost every major urban-metropolitan area in the United States, yet conflicts between the canines and humans are exceptionally low. Between 1960 and 2006, only 146 documented coyote attacks on humans occurred in the U.S. and Canada. Yet there are 4.5 million dog attacks on humans annually in the U.S. alone.

Despite the low number of conflicts with coyotes, nearly one coyote is killed every minute in the United States on average, according to the nonprofit organization Project Coyote. Camilla Fox, the group’s founder and executive director, joins this week’s podcast to discuss the myths and misconceptions around coyotes (Canis latrans), why they’re largely peaceful and critical for ecosystem health, and how humans can coexist better with the growing urban population of coyotes. “For a lot of people … who grow up in urban areas, a coyote is the first predator they’ve ever experienced in their lives,” she explains.

“But … if you can arm yourself with knowledge and educate yourself about this animal, you’ll come to see not only their ecological role, but also what an amazing animal” it is. Coyotes mostly eat rodents and are critical for regulating rodent populations, Fox explains. Depending on location, they also help regulate the abundance of mesopredators such as raccoons and skunks.

This, in turn, helps protect existing biodiversity, such as birds (which are declining across the U.S.). “By having the presence of a coyote in the landscape, they will help, through competitive exclusion, to keep these mesocarnivore…This article was originally published on Mongabay