Coywolf
A canid hybrid descended from coyotes, eastern wolves, gray wolves, and dogs.
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A canid hybrid known as a coywolf results from interbreeding among coyotes (Canis latrans), eastern wolves (Canis lycaon), gray wolves (Canis lupus), and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris).[1] Wolfote is an alternative name sometimes applied to these hybrids.[2]
Quick Facts
- Field
- Canid hybrid biology
- Known for
- Hybridization of coyotes
- eastern wolves
- gray wolves
- and dogs
- Chromosome count
- 78
- Typical size
- Larger than coyotes but smaller than wolves
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
In one captive experiment, six F1 hybrid pups from a male northwestern gray wolf and a female coyote were much larger and heavier at birth than pure coyote pups.[3] By 2012, the genetic composition of the park's eastern wolves was roughly restored to what it was in the mid-1960s.[4] A 400-year period of extensive gray wolf hunting reduced the wolf population, lowering the number of available mates and allowing coyote genes to increasingly infiltrate the eastern wolf population.[5] Algonquin Provincial Park currently contains the primary concentration of pure eastern wolves.[4]
What the cited sources add
A 2014 news article reported that the Wildlife Science Center's hybrids start vocalizing like wolves then change to coyote-like yipping.[6] An Ohio fact sheet states that coyote immigration into Ohio is part of a natural range expansion following wolf removal and forest fragmentation for agriculture.[7] The book "The secret world of red wolves" was published by The University of North Carolina Press in 2013.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "Coywolf" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wayne, R., "Molecular evolution of the dog family", Trends in Genetics, 1993, p. 218–24 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Coywolf" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: vonHoldt, "Whole-genome sequence analysis shows that two endemic species of North American wolf are admixtures of the coyote and gray wolf", Science Advances, 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Coywolf" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mech, "Production of Hybrids between Western Gray Wolves and Western Coyotes", PLOS ONE, 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Coywolf" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rutledge, "Intense harvesting of eastern wolves facilitated hybridization with coyotes", Ecology and Evolution, 2012, p. 19–33 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Coywolf" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Greater than the sum of its parts", The Economist, October 31, 2015; Update on Coy Wolf sightings in Ohio – Ohio Ag Net | Ohio's Country Journal. Ocj.com. Retrieved on 2018-09-05.; West Virginia DNR – Coyote. Wvdnr.gov. Retrieved on 2018-09-05.; Coyotes in Maryland. Department of Natural Resources. maryland.gov; Coyote-Wolf Hybrids Have Spread Across U.S. East. News.nationalgeographic.com (2011-11-08). Retrieved on 2018-09-05.; "Living with Wildlife – Eastern coyotes", Natural Resources website; "Frequently Asked Questions about Eastern Coyote en.wikipedia.org
- Riese, Clive (March 19, 2014), Wildlife Science Center partners in study impacting wolf controversy, Forest Lake Times. facts only, no text reused. forestlaketimes.com
- Update on Coy Wolf sightings in Ohio – Ohio Ag Net | Ohio's Country Journal. Ocj.com. Retrieved on 2018-09-05.. facts only, no text reused. ocj.com
- Open Library record, ISBN 9781469601991 ("The secret world of red wolves"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Coywolf (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Canids And Hyaenids
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Coywolf (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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