Editor's Note: Smithsonian Institute Organization Scientists say coywolves are now in the millions in the Northeast, from Canada all the way south to Virginia. AND if yoyu hear one making an odd dog-like sound (yikes... like one with the pack I have heard 4 times this past month....who stays a little separate from the rest of the pack) between a coyote howl and a dog "yap yap", chances are pretty good its one of those hybrid coywolves. Not a little nervous yet? They also say that these coywolves weigh about 40 to 55 lbs. more than a typical coyote, have shorter legs, and are about 25% wolf.
Just give them space, and if you encounter one....make yourself big and loud and grab a stick if you feel threatened. They are good for the environment, just not for a backyard. Obviously, whether coyote or hybrid coywolf, keep small animals and children inside if they are coming anywhere near your property!
From The Smithsonian
Coywolves are not ‘shy wolves’—they are coyote-wolf hybrids (with some dog mixed in) and now number in the millions
By Maris Fessendem
People living in Eastern Canada and U.S. are probably familiar with the smart, adaptable wild canine that lives in their forests, neighborhood parks and even cities. What they may not know is that eastern coyotes aren’t true coyotes at all. They might better be known as hybrids, or coywolves. Coywolves only emerged over the last century or so and have since spread successfully over much of eastern North America, reports Zachary Davies Boren for The Independent.
As deforestation, hunting and poisoning depleted the population numbers of eastern wolves, they interbred with western coyotes.
A report from PBS writes that the first eastern coyote or coywolf appeared around 1919 in Ontario, Canada. Today, wolf DNA has popped up in "coyote" poop as far south as Virginia.
The hybrid, or Canis latrans var., is about 55 pounds heavier than pure coyotes, with longer legs, a larger jaw, smaller ears and a bushier tail. It is part eastern wolf, part wester wolf, western coyote and with some dog (large breeds like Dobermans and German Shepherds. Coywolves today are on an average a quarter wolf and a tenth dog.
That blend helps make the hybrid so successful that it now numbers in the millions, Roland Kays of North Carolina State University writes:
Coyotes dislike hunting in forests. Wolves prefer it. Interbreeding has produced an animal skilled at catching prey in both open terrain and densely wooded areas, says Dr Kays. And even their cries blend those of their ancestors. The first part of a howl resembles a wolf’s (with a deep pitch), but this then turns into a higher-pitched, coyote-like yipping.
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