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Coyote
- Where in South Carolina
- All counties South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Are there coyotes in South Carolina?
Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.
Yes.
Present in all counties.
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources: “Coyotes first appeared in the upstate in 1978, they are now present in all counties of South Carolina.” Source
More official answers for South Carolina
Are there black bears in South Carolina?
Yes. Two resident populations. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Are there wolves or mountain lions in South Carolina?
Not anymore. SWAP says the Red Wolf, Gray Wolf and Eastern Cougar lived in SC in colonial times and were lost from the region. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Are there armadillos in South Carolina?
Yes. SCDNR publishes an armadillo nuisance-species sheet for SC; range detail is not stated in the passage used. SCDNR
On South Carolina's official list
All mammals in the state: South Carolina mammals.
Where the coyote lives in the US
- Native or listed
- Nonnative or not established
- No official record in our data
- 1–9
- 10–99
- 100–999
- 1,000+
What else it could be
Photo: Katie Gipson · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Red wolf
NCWRC table: red wolf 4 to 5 ft long nose to tail, 40 to 80 lb, wide head, broad muzzle, large feet, ears proportionally smaller than the head; coyote no more than 3 ft, slimmer, 20 to 30 lb on the Albemarle Peninsula, narrow head, long pointed muzzle, smaller feet, ears proportionally larger. NCWRC warns that color and size overlap, so the two can be hard to tell apart in the field. (AZGFD gives coyote length as 3.5 to 4 ft including the tail, so length alone is not reliable.)
Photo: Robbie Hannawacker · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist Gray wolf
NY DEC: gray wolves are much larger (females typically 50-100 lb, males 70-145 lb, 5-6 ft nose to tail, 27-33 in at the shoulder); eastern coyotes rarely exceed 50 lb and generally stand under 2 ft at the shoulder. Wolves have small rounded ears and a short blocky snout; coyotes have larger, more pointed ears (can look rounded in winter coat) and a long, narrow, pointed snout. Coyote tracks are typically 3 x 2 in, wolf tracks about 5 x 4 in. NY DEC says most wolf reports in New York were coyotes, dogs or wolf-dog hybrids.
When mammals are seen in South Carolina
Other questions about South Carolina
Sources
- Coyote. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“Coyotes first appeared in the upstate in 1978, they are now present in all counties of South Carolina.”
- Black Bear. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“In South Carolina, there are two resident populations of black bears, one in the mountains and upper piedmont and one in the coastal plain.”
- SC State Wildlife Action Plan 2025, Chapter 4: Overview of the Taxonomic Groups. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. 2025; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“However, back in colonial times, South Carolina was also home to several additional species including the American Bison, Eastern Elk, Red Wolf, Gray Wolf, and Eastern Cougar.”
- South Carolina Species Information: Armadillos. SCDNR (prepared by National Wildlife Control Training Program). undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“South Carolina Species Information Armadillos”
- GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page.