Guest Essay by Kip Hansen —16 April 2024
Having survived the United States’s Tax Day, I am freed up to cover the Darwinian Story of the Day, complete with “Just-So story” elements that accompany almost every such bit of news.
I have written about coyotes more than once. “The coyote (Canis latrans) is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf.” [ wiki ]
So, what’s new on the Coyote Trail?: a ‘new’ problem: Speciation Reversal – well, sort of.
As most of us know, coyotes are fantastically adaptable – they can live almost anywhere they can find food – and ‘coyote food’ is nearly every- and any- thing small enough or slow enough to catch, alive or dead. “Primarily carnivorous, its diet consists mainly of deer, rabbits, hares, rodents, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates, though it may also eat fruits and vegetables on occasion.” [ wiki ] It is widely believed that urban and suburban coyotes [ .pdf ] also eat pet food left outside for cats and dogs as well as the domestic cats and smaller dogs themselves. Coyotes are natural scavengers and will eat scraps and human garbage given the opportunity.
Where are coyotes found? In North America, nearly everywhere:
I have re-colored the legend to highlight areas of expansion since the year 2000 (baby blue) – in the USA, expanding into Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and North Carolina and eastern Massachusetts. Notably, and worrisome to some ecologists, coyotes have, for the first time, been found in Panama and may be poised to cross the Darien Gap into South America.
So, what about Coyotes and Speciation Reversal? Well, through the wonders modern DNA testing, it has been discovered that the long-thought-to-be mythical Coywolves (or Coydogs) are not only real, but these hybrids seem to be out-competing other coyote sub-species, at least east of the Mississippi River.
Coyote sub-species:
- Canis latrans cagottis (Mexican coyote)
- Canis latrans clepticus (San Pedro Martir coyote)
- Canis latrans dickeyi (Salvador coyote)
- Canis latrans frustror (southeastern coyote)
- Canis latrans goldmani (Belize coyote)
- Canis latrans hondurensis (Honduras coyote)
- Canis latrans impavidus (Durango coyote)
- Canis latrans incolatus (northern coyote)
- Canis latrans jamesi (Tiburón coyote)
- Canis latrans latrans (plains coyote)
- Canis latrans lestes (mountain coyote)
- Canis latrans mearnsi (Mearns coyote)
- Canis latrans microdon (Lower Rio Grande coyote)
- Canis latrans ochropus (California valley coyote)
- Canis latrans peninsulae (peninsula coyote)
- Canis latrans texensis (Texas plains coyote)
- Canis latrans thamnos (northeastern coyote)
- Canis latrans umpquensis (northwest coast coyote)
- Canis latrans vigilis (Colima coyote)
And this new (?) hybrid? “A “coywolf” is the nickname given to eastern coyotes, a hybrid of wolves and coyotes that also contain a fair share of genes from domestic dogs. This remarkable canid mutt has enjoyed a population boom over the past century and can now be found in plains, parks, and back alleys across much of eastern North America. …. Known to scientists as eastern coyotes, there’s some heated disagreement about whether they can be considered a separate species. However, it is evident that this hybrid animal has some clear differences from both common coyotes (aka western coyotes), not to mention wolves and dogs.” [ source ] A lot of media attention has been given to the coywolf over the last decade, including a long piece at The Conversation and even a PBS Nature episode, Meet the Coywolf.
According to Roland Kays, Research Professor at North Carolina State University and Scientist at NC Museum of Natural Sciences:
“New genetic tests show that all eastern coyotes are actually a mix of three species: coyote, wolf and dog. The percentages vary, dependent upon exactly which test is applied and the geographic location of the canine. …. Coyotes in the Northeast are mostly (60%-84%) coyote, with lesser amounts of wolf (8%-25%) and dog (8%-11%). Start moving south or east and this mixture slowly changes. Virginia animals average more dog than wolf (85%:2%:13% coyote:wolf:dog) while coyotes from the Deep South had just a dash of wolf and dog genes mixed in (91%:4%:5% coyote:wolf:dog). Tests show that there are no animals that are just coyote and wolf (that is, a coywolf), and some eastern coyotes that have almost no wolf at all.” [ Kays in source]
This is not to mention the “Red Wolf”, currently listed under the U.S. Endangered Species act, which was found through DNA testing in 2011: “These results support the hypotheses that red wolves are closely related to coyotes, but somewhat divergent from them due to a history of limited admixture with gray wolves. Such historic admixture between gray wolves and coyotes was followed by extensive backcrossing to coyotes, as the source population of gray wolves disappeared in the American South and the Southeast. …. The implications of our results are that a component of the phenotypic distinction of red wolves may be attributed to historic hybridization of distinct populations of gray wolves and coyotes. It has been suggested that hybrids are not clearly protected under the ESA (O’Brien and Mayr 1991), especially hybrids between nonlisted entities (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1973). Since a critical aim of the red wolf recovery project is to maintain the introduced population free from hybridization (Hedrick and Fredrickson 2008), the rationale of the program may need reconsidering as the extant red wolves clearly derive from a process of admixture.” [ vonHoldt et al. 2011 ] In short, the so-called Red Wolf is just a previous, fairly recent, hybrid between gray wolves and coyotes, and as a hybrid between two non-endangered species, is not itself a species and should not be listed as an endangered species.
Coyotes are canids, wolves are canids, domestic dogs are canids. They are very closely related canids….
There you see the three species – Dog, Grey Wolf, Coyote – all right there in the red box. Given the opportunity, they interbreed and produce viable offspring. The offspring of such cross-species breeding also interbreed and produce viable offspring. That’s the old high school definition of a species: “A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which two individuals can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. “ By that definition, domestic dogs, wolves, and coyotes are all just varieties of the same species, distinct in coloring, size, habits but all happily interbreeding producing fertile and successful offspring.
And the storied Coywolf? And its more-than-kissing cousin, the Coydog? According to Roland Kays (and many others) both are best classified as Eastern Coyotes. ( Canis latrans (var.) ) However, others disagree.
Oh, and the “Just-So story”?
“We can estimate the date of the most recent hybridization events that created eastern coyotes by analyzing their genetic structure. Their DNA show that about 100 years ago, coyotes mated with wolves, and about 50 years ago with dogs. A century ago, wolf populations in the Great Lakes were at their nadir, living at such low density that some reproductive animals probably couldn’t find another wolf mate, and had to settle with a coyote.”
To me, that sounds like a raunchy singles-bar joke….
Bottom Line:
1. The Eastern Coyote is a cross-mixture – hybrid — of grey wolf, coyote and domestic dog, in differing percentages across its range, generally east of the Mississippi River in North America. As this process continues, we are witnessing “species reversal” – the opposite of speciation – separate species recombining into one.
2. Efforts to declare it a new species are misguided – the cross- and back-cross breeding continues in present time producing new recognizable varietal hybrids.
3. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service already erroneously protects one wolf-coyote hybrid, the so-called Red Wolf, under the Endangered Species Act, at great expense in a hopeless effort to maintain a wild population of a hybrid animal that continues to hybridize itself in the wild by breeding with coyotes and domestic dogs
4. Coywolves and Coydogs are simply different names for the same hybrid animals that are variously constituted mixtures of grey wolf–coyote –domestic dog genes. There are differing varieties of these based on the percentage of DNA from each contributing species and local influences on behaviors and prey.
5. In upstate New York, parents still threaten their children with “You make sure you get back home before dark or the coydogs’ll get ya”.
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Author’s Comment:
This would all be correctly labelled as “taxonomy” – what to name various animals and classify them in the Tree of Life. And, normally, the rest of us – non-biologists and non-taxonomists – could not care less what is decided.
But in today’s world, the declaration of some particular animal to be an ”endangered species” can have incredible large and far-reaching consequences.
In New York state, coyotes can be hunted, at any hour day or night, from October 1 through March 31, without any bag limit. One needs a hunting license. There is a caveat: ”Large coyotes (50+ pounds) have been reported in New York, but they are uncommon. Any canid 50 pounds or greater may be a wolf, wolf-hybrid, or domestic dog. New York law protects wolves from hunting or trapping. It is also illegal to indiscriminately shoot domestic dogs or wolf-hybrids. We have documented a few wolves and wolf hybrids over the last 20 years in New York.” NY State seems to be ignorant that all Eastern Coyotes are wolf-coyote-dog hybrids.
Note that opinions on Darwinian Species Theory vary widely. Feel free to discuss it in comments.
Thanks for reading.
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There is, of course, the classic “lumper/splitter” divide among taxonomists, whether one has the tendency to call varieties part of a species or a different species. I will suggest that NGOs filing suit under the Endangered Species Act will pretend to be sincere splitters, and call any local variety an “endangered species”.
There are real disagreements as to what constitutes a valid species, but politics tends to get in the way.
Tom ==> The EPA/FWS do not use the (or a ) standard definition of species when listing Endangered Species.
“The Endangered Species Act defines species in Section 3(15) to include ”any subspecies of fish or wildlife or plants, and any distinct population segment of any species of vertebrate fish or wildlife which interbreeds when mature.” The act uses species in a legal sense to refer to any of those entities.” ( NIH )
Basically, almost any segment of a species population can be declared endangered.
As per Kip’s comment on why a non-taxonomist might care about taxonomy, Ontario Canada lists the “Eastern Wolf” as a threatened species. It is described as: “Eastern Wolf is larger than a Coyote and smaller than a Grey Wolf. Proper identification requires genetic data as it is difficult to visually distinguish due to its similar appearance (coloration and markings) and overlap in size.” More complete description of status here, including link to 17-page assessment report.
Science was abandoned when it started saying the wrong things.
Yu mean like when they cry, “Wolf!” ???
‘Self correcting’ after saying wrong things. Science has always been ‘wrong’ often
MJB ==> If they were to run DNA testing on their “Eastern Wolves” they probably would find that they are hybrids….and not a true species or even subspecies.
Thanks again Kip for an interesting insight into the natural world.
Two questions –
(er, that 2nd question didn’t come off properly, did it?)
I have cougars on my property and some big cats too.
I’ll grab my coat.
I’ve bagged many cougars on my various hunting forays into the wilds of piano bars all around the world.
Sounds as though ‘bagging’ is more genteel than using beaver traps.
Bagging is normally reliable and fails only when encountering coyote ugly; sterner and more painful measures are required in those circumstances.
Mr. ==> That’s not another raunchy singles-bar joke is it?
Chart would crush the point:
x-axis = time
y-axis = species “identified”
Here in the N. Rockies the Grey Wolf was reintroduced back in the ’90’s from
paired seed stock from Canada. The wolf males in a litter get kicked out in the fall after birth.
Under normal conditions they wonder around till the find a mate then start their
own pack. But back in the reintroduction period there were not very many lone
wolf females in the area but here were plenty of female coyotes. That is how we
came to have these hybrid “coywolves” One of the things I noticed about these
crossbreds is their vocalizations, it starts out as a yodel then ends in a howl, we now
have packs of these 90lb+ killing beasts to deal with. Here is a YouTube video of
a Canadian snaring one====>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxHcIfdYm24
The enviros sued and got the wolf trapping/hunting season closed here last fall. I guess
the agency clowns running the show circus in the ivory towers in washington dc
think they know more about managing predators then the guys that we had dealing
with these problems at the state level. I had a agency biologist at a recent public
scoping session refuse to answer any of my question about these crossbreds…so curious.
Mr Ed ==> Well, that is a possible explanation — opinions vary quite widely.
I’ve been out in the field throughout our wolf reintroduction and have made a number
of observations as an ag producer and have been involved in trapping predators
for over 50yrs. The wolves kill coyotes. Or push them into areas that the wolves
won’t go. There were no hybrids in this area before the introduction. I only
saw sign of these starting around 2013-2014 and the packs 8-10 yrs later.
I know some pros in the fur and predator world.
.
Mr. Ed ==> Appreciate your personal insight — why do you think that hybrids only appeared after reintroduction, and not as ‘accidental’ incidents in prior times when both species occupied the same territory? Surely their would have been some male wolves isolated in coyote territory (similar to the conditions found after re-introduction).
Another possibility is that the Eastern Coyote, a hybrid found in Michigan and east, might have migrated west into the Northern Rockies and began to interbreed with the introduced Grey Wolves.
See if you can find out from your professional friends if DNA testing is being done on the various wolf-types in your area. I know in NY state, any wolf-like animal taken is subjected to DNA testing by our DEC.
It would be interesting to see what Gene Mixtures are found in that area.
1) Invent new species
2) Declare it’s endangered
3) Beg for funding
4) Think of new ways to ‘protect’ the species by controlling human behavior
5) Repeat
4) Think of new ways to
‘protect’ the species bycontrollinghuman behaviorWhatever the cause, that’s the goal. “Freedom of Will” is anathema to … whichever “them” has the upper hand at the moment.
As I have commented about brown bears and white bears, which can “cross” breed and their offspring can also breed, all the animals you are speaking of are just DOGS.
There is no actual “speciation” except as defined by some liberals and then put into laws to cause never ending trouble to ranchers and ever increasing jobs for liberals. As provided by Kip above:
Species needs to be redefined BACK to the above “high school” definition, by the US congress, then almost ALL of the leftists save the _____ causes will go away. Who knows, these insane envirowacos may even go back to trying to save the whales off the east coast. Is some “sub species” of buckwheat cannot be used to stop development and mining. (lithium mine in northern Nevada) A BUNCH of lawyers, envirowaco pseudoscientists and non profit NGOs and their highly paid staff will be out of work, as they well should be.
So don’t repeal the endangered species act, just change the definition of species, place that definition in a massive spending bill, make the change apply to EVERY LAW AND REGULATION IN EXISTANCE IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NOW AND IN THE FUTURE.
A good step in elimination jobs for liberals.
The congress could also ESTABLISH a definition for hazardous pollutant to eliminate CO2, thus without repealing the EPA OR challenging the “endangerment finding” the congress will just make every step taken by the EPA vs CO2 null and void.
Both definitions changed in a 50 + 1 US Senate vote budget balancing bill, since a LOT of federal employees engaged in “species” and CO2 enforcement would no longer have jobs. A bunch more liberals eliminated form the federal trough.
Also clearly define the Waters of the US definition, back to Navigable as originally defined. Direct all federal judges as to the definition and apply a penalty of removal from the bench for any judge who fails to follow that law and definition. Any federal employee who files against a homeowner under the act where that homeowner does not actually own land that a BOAT can get to an OCEAN without being carried overland to be summarily terminated. Any manager or supervisor not terminating that employee to be terminated, etc. More liberals out of work.
Drake ==> quite right — the ESA needs to have species redefined to a more limited and scientific definition.
4B) Pay $15,000 to ranchers for every case of politically incorrect wolf predation; hire “Range Riders” to protect livestock and “working dogs”… raise taxes….
I’m not against the predator reintroductions in Colorado despite their costs. Elk overrun several wilderness areas in the state and deer wander through suburban greenways. But I hate to see the wolves killed off after all the efforts expended – and I think they will be. We did it once in Colorado. We’ll do it again.
Hunters, ranchers and cars, oh my!
Fun backstory on the ‘endangered red wolf’. About 40 years ago, all the remaining wild ones were live captured in Texas and Louisiana. Ones that had obvious coyote traits were culled. The remainder were bred in captivity. Then some were released into the wild at the Albemarle Sound Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina, where they now number about 100 in the wild.
Why Albemarle? Because it is unique in having no wild coyotes to crossbreed with, so the ‘red wolf’ remains as man selected it to be.
And climate alarmists now say the endangered red wolf is threatened by extinction from climate change as rising sea levels flood the Albemarle Sound Wildlife Refuge. Really. The story is told in more detail as part of essay ‘No Bodies’ in ebook Blowing Smoke—there being exactly zero climate change extinction bodies.
Reminds of “madtoms”. Without Man’s interference, there are tons of different madtoms in different in the Midwest rivers and streams. Maybe different characteristics for each stream but still all “madtoms”.
If they want they to stop a dam or something, they’ll pick out a subgroup and claim it’s “endangered”.
Released “red wolves” still manage to find coyotes with which to mate. They themselves are coyotes, after all, just a slightly larger than average Texas breed.
Rud ==> ah yes, and the real story of how FWS has to “breed” new red wolves….somewhere here at WUWT I wrote this up years ago….
Made me think of dingoes in Australia.
Dogs aren’t native to Australia. All the dingoes are domestic dogs that became feral and bred.
More of a question, do all dingoes look the same?
Man bred domestic dogs to reproduce certain desirable characteristics (before we knew about dominate genes).
Are dingoes the result of all those varied dominate genes combining after several generations?
(I forgot to lead this comment with, “Mr. Layman here”.
Fun dingo related story. While the kids were growing up, we had three family dogs (at the same time for over a decade), all ‘purebred’ Australian Cattle Dogs (aka blue heelers) born of working dogs on the dairy farms around ours. Excellent instinctive cattle herders, very intelligent and people friendly.
When 1000# dairy cows would make a break in the old barbed wire fence separating their pasture from our ~2.5 acre back yard and vegetable garden, the about 30# Auscados would move them back through the break and hold them in the pasture until I could patch the fence break using new barbed wire, the wire puller, and the fencing pliers. Then I would tell them ‘good job’ and they would understand, immediately release the cattle, then come back thru the fence to THEIR yard.
‘Purebred’ because now an AKC accepted breed—but originally a deliberate cross between dingos and Scottish Border collies created to better work the Australian Outback herds of sheep and cattle. Dingos were outback adapted. Border collies were developed in Scotland to instinctively herd sheep and cattle. The circa 1850 cross worked as intended.
Australian Cattle Dogs
1/ Highland collies rather than Border Collies (apparently not a recognised breed until much later)
2/ Cattle dogs and sheep dogs have vastly different working styles.
Cattle dogs are “pushers” or “huntaways”. They like to make things move, usually away from the boss. It’s quite impressive to see a good cattle dog heel and drop without being kicked. Less so when they mistime it 🙁
Sheep dogs are herders. They want to put a mob together, hold it together and bring it back to the boss. My father had some excellent Kelpies who could put a mob together a quarter of a mile away and bring it back to him.
For some added trivia, Kelpies and Koolies (both descended from Collies) are more assertive and have more “push” than Border Collies, which tend to be timid. All of them are quite happy to work all day, every day.
Even more trivia: Some of the dogs in sheep dog trials are nothing short of astounding. The organisers choose 3 sheep for use in trials because sheep don’t recognise 2 other sheep as constituting a mob, so will scatter rather than coming together.
Cocky and Rud ==> Thanks for the fascinating info on herding dogs — great stuff!
I’m glad it proved interesting.
It’s one of those things which is only of immediate use to a very small subset of people these days.
30 pounds is light for a blue heeler. I’d have thought the 45 – 55 pound range (20 – 25 kg) was more typical.
Gunga ==> The Australian Museum has a good piece on dingoes. Their opinion is: “The Dingo is Australia’s wild dog. It is an ancient breed of domestic dog that was introduced to Australia, probably by Asian seafarers, about 4,000 years ago. Its origins have been traced back to early breeds of domestic dogs in south east Asia (Jackson et al. 2017).”….”Dingoes can interbreed with other breeds of domestic dogs.”….”the main threat to the Dingo comes from their contact with other breeds of domestic dog, Canis familiaris. The push of urban settlement from coastal areas and into outback Australia allows for increased interbreeding between the two. This is likely to lead to the dilution of the Dingo gene pool.”
That is Species Reversal…..
There is quite a lot of diversity in dingo conformation and colouration as well, depending on their environment.
Yep.
The Fraser Island dingoes for example are a much finer, leaner build and size compared to the stocky dingoes that roam the high country in Victoria / NSW.
I guess they’ve both evolved to suit their climates and food sources.
To a lesser extent, you tend to have the classic black and tan Kelpies in the more closely settled inside country, and lighter red Kelpies on the bigger properties further out.
There was a Nature special on PBS TV tonight about raptors. They talked about a snail kite that in about two generations increased the size of its beak and its shape, allowing them to successfully hunt a non-native snail that had out-competed the native snails. After a low in the population, the evolved snail kites are making a strong comeback. Now if only something would evolve to be more effective than alligators preying on big snakes!
G’Day Kip,
.”Dingoes can interbreed with other breeds of domestic dogs.”
From memory, mid-1960’s. In South Australia it was illegal to have a large dog north of Port Augusta if it had not been spayed or neutered. German Shepherds were called out by name. The state bounty on dingoes at that time was either £1 or £2.
The Cooper came down in flood one year. (1963/4?) The following year the rabbit population exploded. The next year, dingoes everywhere. I was with United Geophysical at Gidgealpa for the second and third years of that cycle.
Gabby ==> Thanks for the story — they barred German Shepherds out of fear of interbreeding a more dangerous dingo?
The dingo is, behavior-wise, more in the North American coyote niche than the wolf niche….
Cross-breeding was not wanted at all. The dingoes in northern-eastern part of SA were about the same size as coyotes in the 29 Palms area of southern California, a bit larger than the average Kelpie. (My first dog – 1949, was a Kelpie.)
How smart are coyotes? Had a friend who worked, road maintenance, at the Joshua Tree National Park. Seems a female coyote had been hit by a vehicle but survived, with a serious limp. It’s a federal offence to feed wildlife, but visitors would feed her. She lived well. She had a litter of pups, and taught them how to limp.
Thanks for that info, Kip.
I had no idea they predated Europeans’ arrival in Australia.
supposed to be from New Guinea originally arent they? came across land bridge/islands with “tourist type” natives
Looks like a Texas Red Wolf to me. Got a tracker on , looks lean, probably greatly hampered by that collar. just sayin.
https://swisscows.com/en/images?query=texas+red+wolf
Rick ==> The U.S. FWS (Fish and Wildlife Service) collect Texas Red Wolves and used them to re-breed and re-introduce the so-called red Wolf to North Carolina. Your Texas Red Wolf looks like a Coywolf/Coydog because that’s what it is….a hybrid wolf/dog/coyote.
I believe a-ha sang about this problem. “Coy-wolf, ahooo. Time to worry now!”
PariahDog ==> Not my generation, but others can listen here.
So is it coyote( a pest animal that can be hunted) or or is it a wolf (a protected species)?
Answer shoot, shovel and shut up.
I cannot understand letting coyotes infest cities. For example, in the “Endowment Lands” that separate UBC from Point Grey in Vancouver. The population comes down into the residential areas now in large numbers and every now and then a kid gets bitten. Outdoor cats are a thing of the past.
In the small town of Powell River (22K) all garbage has to be kept in bear-proof lockers.
Seems to me dense areas of human occupation should be kept clear of wild animals, and not by relocating them.
Yesterday a fifty pound “eastern” coyote walked calmly across the first fairway of a country club golf course in Darien Connecticut about sixty feet behind me, after waiting for me to pass, It stopped in the middle of the fairway to roll over several times in the warm sun, in a very dog-like manner. Their ability to control the course’s Canada Geese population (and deer), and the absence of hunters in this wooded suburban community forty miles from New York City, seems to protect them for the time being.
Jeff ==> It is strictly illegal to carry a rifle in the southern counties of NY State..”In Westchester County and on Long Island it is illegal to use any rifle or crossbow for hunting, or to carry one afield.”
For Connecticut, “The regulations specify that there is no closed coyote hunting season, except during the open spring turkey season beginning the first Wednesday in May and ending 25 consecutive days thereafter” [see https://www.cga.ct.gov/2013/rpt/2013-R-0465.htm there are some exceptions for turkey seasons.)
So, no open, no-bag-limit, season on coyotes in near-by NY State.
If you look at the map, you may be able to discern that coyotes did not arrive in North Georgia until the 1990s. I am constantly arguing against the ignorance of people stating with absolute certainty that we are seeing more coyotes in our subdivisions because we are expanding into their territories. We have no longer have outside cats, and small dogs have been killed. We have foxes but likely not for long, and a favorite of coyotes are fawns. We will see our deer population dropping.
Fortunately, the state views coyotes as an invasive species. Open season all year, no limits, and people are encouraged to thin their populations. We are an open carry state, too, and if a coyote crosses your path you can assume you are at risk and shoot them, anywhere, anytime. But there are many who say we should coexist with them despite their being an environmental disaster. The best I can do is describe them as equivalent to being large rats, not friendly pets. I fear a child must be harmed before some accept the danger they present.
jtom ==> “people stating with absolute certainty that we are seeing more coyotes in our subdivisions because we are expanding into their territories.” It is quite the opposite, isn’t it? They are expanding into Northern Georgia…and almost everywhere else.
The new hybrids are so successful as they benefit from the cross-breed robustness effect….which itself is controversial.
I tried posting about coyotes in NJ earlier but the photo I tried to add seemed to have killed the post. I first saw coyotes in central NJ a couple of decades ago, since then they have got bigger, behave differently and have different scat! I’m sure that what I see now are coywolves, the photo I tried to add showed one feeding on a deer carcass, definitely not a regular coyote.
“Seems to me (some) dense areas of human occupation should be kept clear of liberal idiots, and not by relocating them”.
David ==> Exactly right, at least herein NY. But only during hunting season. The real problem is ALL the Esatern Coyotes are wolf/dog/coyote hybrids….hunters are supposed to report extra-large coyotes in case they have mistakenly shot a mostly-wolf.
https://www.9and10news.com/2024/04/03/dnr-says-hunter-who-thought-he-shot-large-coyote-actually-shot-a-gray-wolf/
Clyde ==> Yep, wolves in Michigan….
The coyotes on my Wisconsin dairy farm actually perform a valuable service. They are solitary hunters, and field mice are amongst their main small ‘game’ prey in the Uplands. Help keep the rodent population under control, always a dairy farm problem. Never thought of shooting one although could have many times.
Interesting side biology note. Grey wolves are now endemic in northern Wisconsin national forests. Wolves hunt mainly big game in packs. Occaisionally in winter a wolf pack would come south to our parts (less snow, easier whitetail deer hunting). One very special deer hunting season full moon, about 10pm, my dairy farm had coyotes yapping and grey wolves howling at the moon at the same time. Had 7 guys there hunting at the time, and we all went outside, stood in the cold without jackets on, and listened in awe.
Among my earliest memories from 70 years ago is of coyote moms calling in their pups at dark in summer, late at Lat, 46 N.
Coyotes adapt to their environment. You get solitary hunters in areas of food scarcity out of necessity. In areas of abundant food, which describes cities and suburbs, they often remain as a family unit and roam in packs.
“Since a critical aim of the red wolf recovery project is to maintain the introduced population free from hybridization”
If you said the same thing about two groups of humans, they would call you a racist.
Walter ==> Humans are already hybridized, nearly entirely, ask 23andMe and other DNA testing companies….we are already quite mixed up.
As for the Red Wolf, they know full well that they have erroneously listed a wolf/coyote hybrid but can’ seem to undo the error.
I knew of someone who claimed to hunt “wolves” on the central Texas coast about seven decades ago, too big for coyotes. If you think these are trouble try the ocean. Just got this interesting 2018 Guide to the Manta and Devil Rays of the World. Seems that they are approachable enough to get lots of genetic samples and pictures, not so to collect and study morphology. One paper claimed there may be a new species near Yucatán but was prudent enough not to describe it as such. Others on various groups are not so prudent but some do call distinctions “hypothetical species.” Species concepts undergoing.., maybe leave it at that.
This is some of what is going on, must be true as it is in the “peer reviewed literature.”
Duarte, C.M., et al. 2009. Return to Neverland: Shifting baselines affect eutrophication restoration targets. Estuaries Coasts 32(1):29–36.
As quoted by another “Carlos Duarte pointed out that those who believe that reducing nutrient inputs will return coastal ecosystems to some pristine state have forgotten that the ‘baseline’ has been changing. Like Peter Pan, he said, they want to return to ‘Neverland’ where time stands still and nothing ever changes.”
hdhoese ==> “Like Peter Pan, he said, they want to return to ‘Neverland’ where time stands still and nothing ever changes.” a lot of that going around…..
Isn’t that the core of the alarm over AGW?
Watched a documentary on this subject about the cross breeding in the Montreal area.
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/meet-the-coywolf-trailer-meet-the-coywolf/8671/
MKelly ==> Yeah, for some reason,ONLY the trailer is available.
There is an 8 minute segment (Focus on NY).
Sorry about that. I guess PBS wants you to donate before you can view things now.
mkelly ==> Actually, it seems that this episode is just not available, not even when subscribing…which I do.
Pretty sure we have lost about 5 chickens to coyotes this winter/spring. Last sighting was a large, dark-colored one. Too far away to administer the Booster shot. Apparently to them ‘free-range’ chicken means their free to poach if you don’t get in range.
JBP ==> Chickens are great coyote food — even if cooped. Free-range chickens required safe harbor shelters, or they need trees to fly up into. Many commercial breeds don’t fly well and coyotes (and other canids) are quick on their feet and easily catch panicked chickens. Even in NY State, coyotes (and other canids) that prey on livestock can legally be taken.
Not connected to the story, but the mostly African hyenas arent canids at all but are Felids along with cats, civets, mongooses . Some species hunt like wolves instead of ambush like cats
The amazing adaptability of natural evolution
Duker ==> Thanks for this curious information. And you are absolutely correct, they just look dog-like. They are, however,
“Feliformia is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of “cat-like” carnivorans, including cats (large and small), hyenas, mongooses, viverrids, and related taxa. Feliformia stands in contrast to the other suborder of Carnivora, Caniformia (also Canoidea, “dog-like” carnivorans).” [ wiki ]
Here in Manassas, Virginia (30 miles south of DC), we just acquired our first coyote resident this past winter. When he appeared, he was rather mangy and scraggly, but since then appears to have put on weight and become more healthy. He’s rather large, too.
Prior to that, one of our neighbors said he thought he spotted a dead coyote by the side of the road, but that’s as close as we got before now.
By the way, we kind of suspected one was hanging around before we spotted him. We noticed that delivery trucks started dropping off wooden crates at the edge of our woods. They contained a strange assortment of things: an anvil, a hot air balloon, a giant skyrocket, earthquake pills (!), etc. All from some outfit called “ACME.”
Would it be this lot?
Michael ==> Yes, coyotes, Eastern Coyotes, have arrived in Virginia. They are hybrids. I suspect your mangy coyote found plenty of coyote food left out in bowls on your neighbors porches — or possibly larger bowls of cat food left under bridges for the feral cats. Suburban neighborhoods are great habitats for coyotes. The coyotes may helo reduce the free-roaming cat population as well.
They’re called Doyotes immaterial of what google and wikipoopface claim. “dough yo tees”
prjndigo ==> Homer Simpson speak?
interesting, thanks Kip
similar arguments in Aus re dingo wild dog Xs
oz ==> Yes, indiscriminate cross-breeding between varieties of the same species (expansive definition) tend to lead to a population of animals that all begin to look like their early progenitors. The “U.S. mutt” is found in animal shelters all over the U.S. Your dingoes, according to the Wiki, are an ancient domestic dog type, probably brought to the continent early on by seafarers, and since then have mixed and matched with any canid they came across — after a few centuries, they look all the same (mostly).
For the AKC (UKC, KC, CKC) this ability for their beloved varieties to inter-breed is a horror story, much to be guarded against.
However,also here in the U.S., there is a rising tide of intentional cross-variety breeding: CockaPoos, CockaDoodles, Chiweenie, Labradoodles, Yorkipoo…on and on.
We have a friend that keeps cockapoos, but only a very specific type — curly fur, white to champagne color, no more than 15 pounds — they are, as a type, extremely friendly, gregarious, smart as a whip, and generally a no fuss dog.
I have, in the distant past, raised Shar Peis and Wire-Haired Dachshunds. (along with llamas, goats, sheep, chickens, various birds, red polish pigs, and many thousands of hamsters, some of these special developed variety).
“Labradoodles”
That cross-breed is useful for blind folk who are allergic to dogs in general. Apparently they also train well as guide dogs.
Info from a couple who worked for two different guide dog training outfits in southern California years ago. Spent a Christmas day with them one year, and got a photo of the mother, a Poodle, and the pups she’d had that morning, which was why the subject came up.
Too bad coyotes have not yet entered the American culinary imagination like other game.
Any one have some decent South East Asian recipes?
Coyotes have nearly wiped out grouse and bobwhite quail in PA. They are getting better at catching wild turkeys. For families trying to raise some food for themselves, coyotes will kill anything they can sink their teeth into, chickens and other farm foul, goats and sheep….. lambs.
They are not afraid of humans. I was on my hands and knees planting onions and have had coyotes nearly leap over me.
They have no natural predators in PA so they’re populations are rising fast especially in suburbs.
If we can eat bugs, snakes, Octopi, worms, grubs, fish eggs and fake meat we can eat coyotes
JC ==> I hope Penn has an open season, no bag limit, regulation for the coyotes- They are smart. They are clever. They will eat almost anything. They breed quickly and successfully, especially with the plentiful food sources of the North American temperate zone east of the Rockies.
Kip, it’s more important than open season. https://mosqcreek.com/
Hey Kip There is a open season in PA, not sure about the limit. The problem is fewer younger hunters. Unless you own land and are protecting live stock, there is little incentive to hunt them. This is where American Culinary imagination comes in… America creole cooking meets South East Asia! Unfortunately, Americans are all ga ga over dogs, Coyotes are not pet dogs. They are varmints ravaging the country side. The suburbanite can keep them, for the rest of us it might be dinner…. like squirrels, ground hogs and raccoons would be dinner. Think Korean style BBQ coyote jerky…. might be good with a bit of kimchi and a cold Yuengling..
PA FRACK ON!
I find it interesting that so much attention is given to documenting every species of every animal, with a desire to maintain the original species rather than hybrids, until you get to the biped species called humans in the vernacular. I can only guess the names one would be called if they expressed a desire of keeping “purity of species” in humans. Funny world.
jtom ==> In genetic studies, humans are not separated into obvious classes or varieties, despite the fact that we can have many outward differences in appearance. Humans are very definitely a single species — at most, humans have “varieties”, classified by the same features you might find used by the American Kennel Club for dogs: fur and hair types and colors, skull shape, general body shape, general body size, skin color, etc.
Seems like a great situation for the phrase “Kill ’em all. Let God sort them out.”
I have killed 3 coyotes that were worrying my dog. (Central Wisconsin).
Fishlaw ==> Coyotes generally don’t like dogs….maybe see them as threats or competition; maybe just “not us”. In Wisconsin, wolves are generally much bigger, noticeably so. A 50 lb coyotes would be extremely rare — and if sighted, probably a hybrid Eastern Coyote — mostly wolf.
The Weather Channel just had a video of a coyote in Central Park.
https://weather.com/science/nature/video/large-coyote-stops-central-park-jogger-in-his-tracks