Coyotes are well-known for their adaptability and trickster ways. This has helped the wily critters recolonize much of their former habitat and spread into the fringes of human-dominated landscapes where they were previously absent.

While these medium-sized meat-eaters, known as mesocarnivores, can be cagy around people, they take chances around large non-human predators. New research shows that coyotes often try to steal or scavenge on prey killed by mountain lions, such as deer and elk. But this risk-taking comes with a cost: It’s not uncommon for cougars to eat coyotes.

Researchers in Oregon recently found that mountain lions killed about a quarter of all coyotes in one study area. Competition for prey may be the reason: The study