The La Brea asphalt seeps are famous for the predators found entombed there. Dire wolves and the sabercat Smilodon – the site’s mascot – are the exotic Ice Age stars that everyone comes to see. The third most-numerous carnivore found there doesn’t enjoy such celebrity. If you follow the path of the Page Museum around its circular path, there’s a little alcove near the end that presents some modern animals that lived in Ice Age times. And there, howling before an artistic depiction of itself, is that third most-abundant carnivore – the coyote.

Coyotes are familiar canids. Not only are they common, but they’re so ecologically flexible that they’ve actually taken up residence with us. Compared to