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Name This Animal

Coyote or Wolf ?

21 years ago

Of course you'll know right away by my location and the subject of my web page. Isn't he handsome ?

Here is a link that might be useful: Canis latrans

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Comments (12)

chubbles
21 years ago
He certainly looks to be in good health. That is a nice looking Coyote! The ones I see down here always seem a bit ragged looking, perhaps because of the perpetual heat.
Beautiful pictures by the way.
ccox
21 years ago
I was going to say the same thing--he's a beauty and looks in great health. Great pics.
C.
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What do you mean there were none 30 years ago? Do you mean none in your area, or that they did not exsist at all? Well, to address both those scenarios: Coyotes have exsisted in N America since the Pleistocene Period (a million years ago) which has been shown by fossil records. Although, the coyote became common 75 years ago. Old bounty records show that during the 1700's and 1800's that coyotes were turned in fraudulently as wolves. The PA Game Commission reports that in PA an influx of coyotes appeared in the 1960's from the Catskill Mountains in New York. They also report that the first evedience of coyotes in PA is photographs taken in the 1930's. As far as why the Eastern Coyote is larger then the western; DNA analysis shows that the E. Coyote is a cross between a coyote and a wolf and is therefore intermediate in size between the two. Hunting and trapping to keep there numbers at a minimum? First, I am morally and ethically oppossed to this seeing that it is man with this mindset that has driven the gray wolf to near extinction! Sadly, it was an ignorant mentallity that almost ended this species exsistence. Just like the coyote, wolves rarely attack humans and it is found they do so when they are feed or find eash means to food (garbage). This is the same reason why their are none in PA. This is not to mention that it has been proven to be a waste of time and money when it comes to the coyote. Again, as reported by the PA Game Commission, 70% of the coyote population would have to be removed annually in order to cause their population to drop. But, as many species have been found to do, the coyote will offset this drop in number by their litter size. They go on to state, "A bounty system has never successfully eliminated or significantly reduced coyote populations anywhere in North America. Coyotes have a superior ability to adapt to a changing environment. Attempts to reduce coyote populations in western states using year-round poisoning, hunting and trapping resulted in millions of dollars being spent over many decades with little reduction in coyote numbers. The result of any predator control method is temporary and often very localized. No measurable good ever resulted from the Game Commission's predator bounties in the 1900s. They truly were a waste of money." If they are not a threat to humans then why is it neccassary to keep "their numbers at a minimum?" Again, it is this mentallity that lead to the near extinction of the Gray Wolf. Why is this our choice? Why does man think he so wonderful and powerful that he can decide which species he would like to live with?
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fairy_toadmother
21 years ago
someone after my own heart (likes coyotes). "ours" aren't quite as "precocious" they literally high tail it outta there if they see someone.
webkat5
21 years ago
We have tons of them where I live.....sometimes I feel "surrounded".
the_alpha_wolf_rules
21 years ago
I can tell you that ain't one of mine :P
I've never seen one.
Doctorant
21 years ago
Genetic studies on various coyote populations have demonstrated that New England coyotes do have some wolf mixed in with their predominantly coyote genome. Clearly a coyote, but one can see that hint of wolfiness in your pictures, compared to the appearance of our "purebred" coyotes further to the southwest.
ltcollins1949
21 years ago
Doctorant

Thanks for that bit of information. When I fist looked at the photos, I couldn't believe that it was a coyote, because it is so beautiful. I thought that it was a wolf.

Down here in south Texas, our coyotes are pretty bad looking. And we have been having an epidemic of rabies within the coyote population. So they have been experimenting with a program to stop the spread of rabies. They are using helicopters to drop bait that contains the rabies vaccination in areas that are inaccessible. I read somewhere that in the past 5 years or so, rabies in coyotes is thought to have decreased by approximately 70% here in south Texas.
anne_cape_cod
Original Author
21 years ago
Doctorant, you're correct. The eastern coyote is bigger than the western variety and is believed to be a hybrid of the timber wolf and the western or red/western coyote.
fairy_toadmother
21 years ago
very interesting, i never heard that. it also seems strange because i always heard that wolves will kill a coyote every chance they get. waiting for corrections...
chickenmama1
20 years ago
We have beautiful, big coyotes here in Idaho. But this guy has the coloring of some of the "Gray" wolf varieties. I was going to ask if you are absolutely certain this is a coyote and not a wolf, but Doctorant beat me to it by a long shot. You can REALLY see wolf in this animal, except for those great big mule ears! lol It's a beautiful, healthy looking animal. I doubt you'd get any wolf coming out of hiding to have it's picture taken, though. Thanks for the great photo's!
We own wolf dogs responsibly, hence the super interest on my part. Ours are no more that about 76% though.
Butterflyer1966
20 years ago
How beautiful!!!
Thanks for sharing those awesome pictures
Greetings
Susanne(SUE)
KeithB
20 years ago
Wolves do routinely kill coyotes but interbreeding apparently occurs as well. I know in particular that as coyotes moved east and interbred with red wolves that it contributed to the decline of pure red wolves in East Texas and Louisiana.

The Northeast coyotes probably have some gray wolf in them, though even as robust and beautiful as this coyote is, it still definitely looks more coyote than wolf.

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