I always enjoy seeing Eastern Coyotes. This morning I observed a pair of coyotes in the black dirt, miles out in a field, just after sunrise. Two things stood out to me as I watched them through my scope. The first was how acutely aware they both were of me. In spite of the great distance (the photos below are pretty heavily cropped), both kept a very close eye on me as they made their way across the field. The second was the size difference between the two canines – the lead individual was much smaller (likely a female from what I read online), followed by a noticeably larger presumed male.
Nice! Lots of people here in Maine hate coyotes and just want to exterminate ’em. (There are even big bounty hunting events.) To me, that hateful attitude is nothing more than predator envy. I love coyotes. Nature put them here for a purpose. So big and beautiful. And, of course, our Eastern Coyotes have a lot of wolf in ’em (compared with the scrawny Western and Mountain Coyotes I’m also familiar with).
Thanks Brian. I love coyotes too – Eastern is the only kind I’ve ever seen, but from what I’m reading they can be up to twice as big as Western. I’ve seen some big beautiful coyotes in our area over the past number of years. Thanks for checking in. Matt
LOVE Coyotes too! Lucky to see a pair. I have some very mediocre photos from my old camera…one of the more special moments that pushed me to getting a better camera.
Yes, you will be happy you upgraded next time you find yourself seeing something really excellent. Matt
The eastern coyote (Canis latrans) is a variety of coyote that grows to a larger size and often has darker fur than is generally associated with the species. Two separate teams of researchers studying the genes of coyotes in the Northeast reported evidence that some of these animals, that have for decades been thought of as coyotes, are in fact coyote-wolf hybrids (Canis latrans x C. lupus). The team headed by Roland W. Kays, Curator of Mammals at the New York State Museum, studied coyotes from New Jersey to Maine. Jonathan Way, wildlife biologist with the Eastern Coyote Research consulting firm examined coyotes around Cape Cod and Boston. Both teams found that some animals carry both wolf and coyote DNA. The findings may explain why some coyotes in the East are generally larger than their Western counterparts – that is, more wolf-like in size – and why they are so much more varied in coat color, as might be expected from a creature with a more diverse genome. As a result, we coyote “fans” like to refer to them as “woyotes.”
-Tom Lake
Wow, that’s some good information Tom, thanks so much for sharing it. For me, it’s good to hear there are some facts behind some of the things I just hear out and about. Matt