The Eastern coyote has been mating with wolves as it moves back into its historic range from out West, and is now about 8 percent wolf DNA, as reported in this fine Portland Press-Herald story, and that percentage will increase over time.
The Eastern coyote has a bigger skull and, more importantly, a wider jaw than coyotes found in the West. The Western coyote is generally between 20 to 25 pounds, while Eastern coyotes weigh between 30 to 40 pounds. Some have been documented in Maine at 50 pounds
The story notes that this size is important, because our coyotes are big enough to start having an impact on the deer herd in ways that aren’t entirely understood.
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they’re called coywolves. they’re extremely smart and have never bothered humans even while living in close proximity. they mostly eat rats and mice although occasionally take small pets. sometimes they live close to and never bother pets also. here’s a link to the pbs ‘nature’ documentary. it’s fascinating.
Meet the Coywolf | A Field Guide to the Coywolf | Nature | PBS
Your field guide to everything you ever wanted to know about the Coywolf, or Eastern Coyote — from a trip through the Coywolf’s modern day habitat to its very …
[Search domain http://www.pbs.org] pbs.org/wnet/nature/meet-the-coywolf-infographic-…