A study headed out of New York State Museum analyzed the genetic history of 686 coyotes in the Northeast and concluded that most are coyote-wolf hybrids. Here’s the press release. Some highlights:

This new study of eastern coyote genetics and skull morphology shows that remnant wolf populations in Canada hybridized with coyotes expanding north of the Great Lakes, thereby contributing to the evolution of coyotes from mousers of western grasslands to deer hunters of eastern forests.

….

Two of the animals (studied) had the western grey wolf genetic signature and one had a Great Lakes wolf signature, suggesting that a few full-sized wolves have recently migrated into New York and Vermont, but are not breeding here. Only one of the 696 coyote samples was closely related to domestic dogs, showing that coyotes are not frequently breeding with domestic dogs in the region and the popular moniker ‘coydog’ is technically inaccurate.

I wonder if this explains the October event in which two coyotes fatalay attacked a lone woman hiking in Nova Scotia?

Spotted via this Burlington Free-Press article.

Tags: coyote;, wolf