Coyote-wolf Hybrids

These hybrids, known as coywolves, or wolfotes, are produced in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada, wherever wolves and coyotes come into contact. They are fertile in both sexes (Mech et al. 2017) and apparently better adapted to urban environments than are either coyotes or wolves, so that the hybrid population is currently expanding and moving into large cities such as Toronto and New York. Wheeldon et al. (2013), found molecular evidence of both wolf and dog genetic inheritance in coyote populations. In the conclusions section of their study, they state that

Wayne and Vila (2003) speculated that, “female wolves and male coyotes are more closely matched in size, and thus may also be more likely to mate.” However, Lehman et al. (1991) found coyote mtDNA in most of the ostensible wolves in the hybrid zone, but found no wolf mtDNA in any of the coyotes, which suggests a strong directionality to the cross, that is, that male wolves usually mate with coyote bitches (although the reciprocal cross has occurred in captivity). So Wayne and Vila's assumption may be mistaken. And yet, reports of hybrids produced in captivity seem to refer solely to male coyotes mating with wolf bitches.

The hybrids themselves usually backcross to wolves, not coyotes. Mech et al. (2017) stated that “our F₁ hybrids survived well, were fertile, and could breed at 1 year of age.”

In Algonquin National Park, where roads are few and moose densities high, the wolf population is fairly pure, but a hybrid zone exists adjacent to the park (Benson et al. 2012).

Paradiso and Nowak (1972, p. 1) note that the red wolf, Canis rufus, is “highly variable in all characters,” which is consistent with a recent hybrid origin, and that it is in general intermediate between latrans and lupus with respect to the measurements of its characters. Moreover, Wayne and Jenks (1991), Reich et al. (1999) and vonHoldt et al. (2016) offer genetic evidence that rufus is in fact derived from this cross, and all historical specimens of rufus seem to be hybrids (Nowak 2002; Roy et al. 1994a, 1996). Nevertheless, the IUCN (accessed 9/4/2017) describes C. rufus as a critically endangered species. However, Hohenlohe et al. (2017) argue against the idea that C. rufus had a recent hybrid origin).