Coyote, dog, wolf or hybrid--An interesting Article

[woodmort]

From time to time there are posts on here about coyotes and their various hybrids. Here is an interesting article that may shed some light on what you're seeing--enjoy. http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=47591

 

[CMV]

Thanks Woodmort. Fascinating, as always.

 

[ams4776]

Very interesting. Its amazing what scientists can figure out anymore

 

[archerobx]

Very interesting, thank you.

Grew up on the outerbanks and hunted alligator river refuge and bombing range were they were reintroducing the red wolves. They looked like coyotes to me.
There was always talk as to why they dissapeared in first place. One idea was the wolves mated with dogs anc coyotes. Dogs and coyotes sexually matured faster then wolves and thus had more pups. Diluting the wolf dna. Eventually they breed themselves out of existance.
Now seeing the dna make up it kind of makes sence.

thank you again

 

[off-grid hen]

That is very interesting. People around here always call them "coydogs", but after I saw one, I will never call them anything associated with "dog" again. Taller than my (now deceased) shepherd/husky mix, and the same color as the ones in the photo. Local farmers call them algoquin wolves, but it'll be interesting to see more research on the ones in the Adirondack and Green Mtns region. There may be different genetics working in different mtn ranges.

There are also people that SWEAR we have mountain lions, but scientists say we don't. I wonder if the lore is too strong or the scientists just forgot to sample the 'dacks?

 

[bryan99705]

As a kid, the coydogs were big, unafraid, mean and a major threat to wild game, calves, piglets, sheep, chickens and people. A very nasty critter! So the local farmers would organise big land section hunts by counting tracks, in the snow, going into and out of a section, then setting up shooters on the roads on all 4 sides and sending in beaters with shotguns using nose and sight hounds to kill, run down, or flush the coys out. Kinda like a old german boar hunt. They stuck with it and pretty much wiped them out