Yes, it sounds like one of Aesop’s fables, and it does crop up in Native American folklore, but it’s based on observed reality. Though coyotes and badgers are each solitary predators, they will at times team up to hunt together. There’s are even videos of them together. The latest one shows them in a culvert in night-vision, but this one gives a better view of one these odd couples on the move.
This phenomenon, called mutualism by biologists, has been observed in the field for many years. The coyote, fast and agile, excels at chasing prairie dogs, but they’re poor at digging. Badgers can’t catch prairie dogs in the open, but once the rodents go to ground, badgers can dig them out. The interesting thing is that the coyote and badger don’t share their kills, yet their teamwork nets more prey for both in the long run. Another important point: They don’t cooperate all the time. In winter, when rodents hibernate, the badger has no need for the coyote’s skills, and coyotes will kill and eat badgers if they can find them. But when there’s a benefit to both, they work together.
If you don’t see where I’m going with this, let me just say that while I despise the thought of either Mayo Pete or Mike Bloomberg as the Democratic nominee, I will dig out rodents for them when the time comes.