And Coywolves, too.
At least that what this study out of Albany, NY says. This could go along way to explaining the size of the "coyotes" around the Bolt Hole in the southwest Adirondacks. Some resemble wolves as noted by folks who know what a wolf looks like.
[Dr. Roland] Kays and his colleagues [of the New York State Museum] suggest that hybridization with wolves allowed coyotes to rapidly evolve into an animal well adapted to colonizing the East. Being larger and better able to prey on deer than coyotes that took the southerly, wolf-free route, they expanded their range up to five times faster, which explains why coyotes did not show up in the Southeast until long after they were entrenched in the Northeast.
5 comments:
How's your supply of silver bullets?
Oh come on Rev! Not all werewolves are evil or dangerous (See Angua on Discworld or the youth gang in the Dresden Files). Besides, these are COY-wolves. Very shy.
We have the weirdest assortment of them around here...like separate lines or something. Big black ones that look almost like dogs. They are real stock killers
Blond ones...very large too and plain grey and brown ones like you would expect.
During the winter of '07-'08 I spotted one of those big black ones in the woods near the Bolt Hole. It was nearly 100 yards away yet I could see it was much larger than the coyotes I was used to--easily larger than a German Shepherd. A logger in the area saw it a few days later. He thought it was a wolf based upon its size. (And he's spent lots of time in Alaska in the back country so he knows his wolves.)
I think the wolf hunt is still on up here in Boundary Co. A neighbor called me the other day to warn me to bring my dogs inside as a wolf was in her front yard. Heard you're really getting some weather back East!! Cassie
Post a Comment