Western Coyotes vs Eastern Coyotes

[pattymac]

Just wondering about the differences in sizes etc. Heard more about western ones but I've seen quite a few eastern ones....they're big freakin' critters!! Saw two in a field one winter, and I swear they were the size of timber wolves..They were quite close to the road and just standing in the field. I've heard that they're pretty bold.

[edwina]

It is a known fact that the Northeastern coyote is generally larger than in most other regions of the country. They believe that the large eastern coyotes in Canada are actually hybrids of the smaller western coyotes and wolves that mated years ago as the coyotes moved toward New England from their earlier western areas.
Cornell university is doing a study on Eastern (North East USA, New England States) on DNA.
They believe these coyotes are actually from Canada and have a fair amount of Red Wolve DNA. The Red Wolf is thought by certain scientists to be in fact a wolf/coyote hybrid rather than a unique species.

[kandy]

Coyotes are very prevelant here in Wyoming. They are fairly small, about the size of a medium dog like an aussie or a large shelti. I love to listen to them sing in the evenings when we are at the lake. They really are amazing animals - so smart, so adaptable. I had a dog (RIP Sheena) who was part coyote.

[pattymac]

I just remember these 2, they were more grey than brown/tan. I remember thinking that's one well 2 freakin' big coyotes!! Less than 2 miles from our place!! I know sometimes outside in the winter, I see dog tracks that aren't Bayley's, usually on her's I can see the nail marks, our neighbour has a Boxer but he doesn't leave her side and everyone else has little dogs.

[kandy]

There are more and more instances of coyotes in urban areas all the time. As humans take over their habitat, the ever resourceful coyote will adapt to living in an urban area.

The coyotes here are all the tan color. Of course that could be because I live in a high altitude desert, so the tan coloring blends in better with the rocks.

[CearaQC]

I don't know what kind we have here, but the government brought coyotes in ON PURPOSE.

As a result now there are no ruffed grouse/partridge anywhere to be seen, and hardly any other game. Ecological balance seems way off now.

All winter we heard coyotes howl. Must be a couple different packs back there roaming around.

[Bailey_]

I love our coyotes on our land! They're simply beautiful creatures, though generally in the late winter months we try to avoid coming across any. They seem to be more territorial during that time and will stand their ground when we come through on our horses, so we try to keep our distance if can spot them.

Anyway, I love them though. Simply gorgeous.

[clm]

I see them quite a bit here. There are packs of them that travel up and down the CN right of way that runs behind my house. I've seen them in the fields up around the airport too, the same fields I also still see herds of deer in, and loping up the roads here from time to time. They're not that big, I would say about the same height as my dogs with very slight frames. All the ones I've seen have been gray.

I love to see and hear them.

clm

[kandy]

Originally Posted by CearaQC

I don't know what kind we have here, but the government brought coyotes in ON PURPOSE.

As a result now there are no ruffed grouse/partridge anywhere to be seen, and hardly any other game. Ecological balance seems way off now.

All winter we heard coyotes howl. Must be a couple different packs back there roaming around.

And here, the government reintroduced wolves. Now of course the hunters are saying that the wolves are killing off too many elk, the ranchers claim that livestock losses are increasing and everyone here wants to shoot them on sight. Because the wolves were taken off the endangered species list, they were being shot if found outside the boundaries of Yellowstone Park. Last I knew, wolves hadn't learned how to read signs. So then we had ranchers that would stay just on the outside of the park boundaries and try to lure the wolves across so they could shoot them. Thankfully the feds put a stop to that because Wyoming's "management plan" did not ensure the survival of the wolves. Last year I did some research into wildlife and livestock losses due to predation - and it was like less than 3% of those losses were attributed to predation (coyotes and wolves combined) - the rest was because of disease or famine.

Nature is very good at restoring the balance, when left alone. Even when humans upset the balance, once the human interference is taken away, nature will work to restore it, if given enough time. Unfortunately, I don't think the human interference will ever end.