Cameras catch coyotes eating harbor seals

For the first time, researchers documented coyotes feeding on harbor seals in California. Researchers set up trail cameras at MacKerricher State Beach in Mendocino County, California, during the season when pups were born in the spring of 2023 and 2024. When they reviewed the footage, the researchers saw three instances of coyotes (Canis latrans) taking harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) from the beach and eating them. The researchers said while this is the first study to confirm this happening, it has likely been going on for centuries. Further, this phenomenon is likely occurring outside of California, too. Researchers have documented coyotes hunting seals in Washington state and Massachusetts.

Read the study in Ecology.