Coywolf? No such thing

[smitty55]

Real good article on genetic testing done on the Eastern Coyote

http://theconversation.com/yes-eastern-coyotes-are-hybrids-but-the-coywolf-is-not-a-thing-50368?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=facebookbutton

[Cast-Away]

Very interesting, that s for sharing that Smitty.

[akaShag]

That was worth the read, thanks Smitty.

Bigger coyote = bigger target.........

Doug

[Old Ironmaker]

That is a very interesting article indeed Smitty, thanks. Since we have lived here full time on the north shore of Erie for the past 20 (have owned it for 25) years a interest to me is looking for Wolf, Coyote or Coywolf. My 1st introduction to Coyote was when I thought I was going to chase away some pesky Racoons from the garbage pails in the dark with a hockey stick and flashlight only to find 3 skinny, mangey Coyote routing around the garbage, I ran faster back to the cottage than I thought my repaired knees could. The name Coywolf seems a matter of semantics as according to the Prof that wrote the article the Wolf around the Great Lakes were so rare 100 years ago a purebred Wolf found it difficult to find a mate that breeding with Coyote and domestic Dog was inevitable. Around 15 years ago we had a number of cold winters where the lake was frozen over and in some of the narrower sections of the lake completely frozen over from here to NY. There was what I thought were 3 Wolves, 2 dirty white and 1 brownish, sunning all day long for a few days straight on the large, some sections 20' feet high, upward heaved sections of ice that is common here on Erie along the shore when the lake freezes. They only moved when the Sun shifted in the horizon west. I called the MNR and they referred me to The Long Point Conservation Authority. A woman and a man from LPCA came out with their long lens cameras for the next few days after calling and I confirmed that the canids (new word today) were indeed back again. They both said that after reviewing the pics they both agreed if they had to testify in a court of law they would say that they were 90% certain they were Wolves and not Coyotes or Coywolves. They did use the word Coywolf. They said in their experience white wolves here were rare let alone 2.  When we have had ice in the past I unfortunately have not seen them again. I don't think we have had ice here for the last 10 years. Ice every year for the 1st 15 we have owned it. 

[turtle]

Thanks, interesting read.  I've seen "coyotes" with floppy ears, short hair and large sized.  Maybe more feral dog but acted like a coyote nose down on the trail running in to my turkey call.  Checked to see if it had a collar one.  I see coyote variation in north Durham region, some are the typical smaller shaggy fur grey color with pointy noses.  A few were large german shepherd sized more wolf like, one of the large ones was jet black.  All stayed away but none ran away like their life depended on it.  

 

[Old Ironmaker]

It was a big deal 27 years ago when Coyote were spotted on the brow of  the Niagara Escarpment in Hamilton just west of Centennial Parkway reported by friends of mine that lived there. Everyone from the MNR to national television news crews were out hoping to spot one. The MNR set traps. It was a really big deal then. Now it's common to see these animals in highly densely populated areas as close as downtown T.O. I have read where Wolves are as far south as us here at Lake Erie. Wildlife will travel until they can easily find food. Whether they are Wolf, Coywolf, or Coydogs they are thriving  where we live. It's legal to hunt them here and many do. More than a few family dogs have gone missing. 

[DanD]

When it was "normal" to have the inner bay of Long Point freeze over solid; we'd always see coyotys out on the ice. It got to the point we didn't throw our perch out the hut onto the ice. The buggers would sneak up and steal the fish. I'm talking late 60's and early 70's; but they were very common to see.

Dan.

Edited January 17, 2020 by DanD

[pics]

We regularly get yotes at our back fence. They will also try to lure domestic dogs for an ambush.. I don't know why they have evolved to weigh as much as 50 pounds without interbreeding with either dogs or wolves.. most would weigh in around 35 to 40 pounds..

[Cando]

I read an article like this a couple of years ago when peoples dogs were being attacked in Port Credit. There are a lot of them in the golf course behind my condo at Lakeshore and Dixie. I see and hear them all the time. There are enough of them there that they took down a deer in the Etobicoke Creek a few years ago.

[Old Ironmaker]

On 1/20/2020 at 4:11 PM, pics said:

We regularly get yotes at our back fence. They will also try to lure domestic dogs for an ambush.. I don't know why they have evolved to weigh as much as 50 pounds without interbreeding with either dogs or wolves.. most would weigh in around 35 to 40 pounds..

I would never get close enough to weigh one that's for sure. The 3 I found routing through my garbage that night scared the begeezus out of me. I should say startled, I have never been scared!! Ya right. 

[pics]

We have coyotes at work.. they will stand and watch you but so far they haven't bothered anyone... with close to a 1000 acres there are plenty of areas that they can hunt for rabbits, cats and geese when they are nesting.  Thankfully they are relatively small and don't seem to have interbred..

[cisco]

On 1/17/2020 at 4:15 PM, Old Ironmaker said:

It was a big deal 27 years ago when Coyote were spotted on the brow of  the Niagara Escarpment in Hamilton just west of Centennial Parkway reported by friends of mine that lived there. Everyone from the MNR to national television news crews were out hoping to spot one. The MNR set traps. It was a really big deal then. Now it's common to see these animals in highly densely populated areas as close as downtown T.O. I have read where Wolves are as far south as us here at Lake Erie. Wildlife will travel until they can easily find food. Whether they are Wolf, Coywolf, or Coydogs they are thriving  where we live. It's legal to hunt them here and many do. More than a few family dogs have gone missing. 

Early 80's a pal and I had our pic in the K-W Record with 3 we shot around Kitchener one day. First I saw was around 1970 between Kitchener and Guelph. MNR was getting concerned around 1980 when aerial winter surveys showed they learned how to hunt deer in packs around there. They look big but all we got over the years were around 35lbs. Lotsa fur.

IMO any coyote in heat when a lone wolf male is around to sniff may become a mommy. Rare I know but have read no such thing as a true coyote with all the dog inbreeding. So no reason there may not be some wolf/coyote crosses out there where ranges overlap. A coydog can be very big and even dangerous so an animal like that when in heat meeting up with a young male wolf ........ simple biology.

Edited February 2, 2020 by cisco