Threshold Conversations | Coyotes in the City  with Christopher Schell

Threshold Conversations | Coyotes in the City with Christopher Schell

From Threshold by Auricle Productions

April 21, 2026 · 22 min

About this episode

Dr. Christopher Schell discusses how coyotes adapt to urban environments and the implications for human-animal interactions.

As surprising as it may be to encounter a coyote in the big city, these wild carnivores aren’t passing through—they’re right at home. Whether it’s a quiet grassland or a downtown Quiznos, they’re adapting to their environment, and to us. Dr. Christopher Schell is an ecologist who studies city-dwelling carnivores at UC Berkeley, and he joins us to think about how wild animals live in the built environment, how human social dynamics shape the behavior of our nonhuman neighbors, and what lessons we can take from these resilient creatures. Threshold is nonprofit, listener-supported, and independently produced. You can support Threshold by donating today . To stay connected, sign up for our newsletter . Credits: Threshold Conversations is produced by Sam Moore. Our music is by Todd Sickafoose. Amy Martin is our host and executive producer. Resources and Links: The Schell Lab One of Chris’s papers: The ecological and evolutionary consequences of systemic racism in urban environments Chris’s upcoming events in Seattle Mapping Inequality , an interactive history of Redlining in America

People in this episode

Host: Amy Martin

Guest: Christopher Schell

Topics covered

  • urban wildlife
  • coyotes
  • ecology
  • human-animal interaction
  • city living

Keywords

  • coyotes
  • urban ecology
  • wildlife adaptation
  • human social dynamics
  • city-dwelling carnivores

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UC Berkeley

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