coyotes and wolves the same speicies?

[MN_Rebel]

this could just be a wild canine thing becuase dingos and jackals also kill each other but only usaully the males and offspring they ussauly force the females to join their pack and mountain coyotes kill and eat smaller coyote subspecies all the time by my cabin in big bear packs of mountain coyotes fight each other all the time for territory,mates,food or just for entertainment most of the time one pack will conqure territory from other packs the most likely reason for alot of the fights coyotes are also cannibals i dont think wolves are tho

Sounds like you dont know how much about the coyotes and the wolves too. Wolves are cannibals too and they will kill other wolves, its not uncommon and its not only male and offspring but any canids are fair game. Also they do not force the females join their pack, its not how it works. Females seek out a new pack to start family as there can be only one female to have pups, and that is alpha female. Please come back again after you already took some wildlife/animal classes.


Weakest wolf will have a hard time to catch up the strongest coyote and Ive seen coyote can hold their ground against a lone wolf just like badger. Coyotes are very aggressive than wolves.

 

[chloe]

both scare the S*** out of me if im completly honest!
to me, as someone that has no idea, i would say they r both from the dog family but had to adapt differently to their environments, therefore appear differently and different charachteristics.........does that make sense?

 

[MN_Rebel]

both scare the S*** out of me if im completly honest!
to me, as someone that has no idea, i would say they r both from the dog family but had to adapt differently to their environments, therefore appear differently and different charachteristics.........does that make sense?

But both wolves and coyotes live in same environments, however their lifestyle and behavior are different. Coyotes do not attack coyotes in wolf style, they goes head butt and rised their back hairs and make them look bigger while wolves wrestle each other try to pin their rival down. Coyotes are smart than wolves as the yotes are better adapted to live out on its alone as majority of their diet are small rodents and small animals. Heck even their hunting techniques are very different from the wolves when they chase down the big game. And female alpha coyote accepted other coyotes with pups in their own pack which wolves do not do that. Coyotes evolved in North America while the wolves evolved in Europe. Coyotes are better adapted to the live bystand the humans while the wolves do not.

 

[Polypterus]

Coyotes evolved in Nmorth Aerica while the wolves evolved in Europe. Coyotes are better adapted to the live bystand the humans while the wolves do not.

That is not technically true... The wolf / Coyote line started in North America with Hesperocyon which radiated to the other continents from North America.

The Grey wolf Did indeed further evolve in europe to re-invade NA again later. The Eastern Wolves However (Red wolf hybrid and Canadian wolf) evolved independently within North America. A split which occured 2 MYA. Eurasian Grey wolf ancestors where originally North American and radiated to Eurasia and then came back but their original stock was from North America, the Red wolf (A coyote x wolf species? weird mess up?) and Canadian wolf With their much earlier genetic line proves this.

Edit: Not sure that is clear I can clarify if needed....

 

[MN_Rebel]

Interesting thats what Wika say same thing about what I said.

 

[Dan F]

Grey Wolves are Canis lupus (genus and SPECIES).
Red Wolves are Canis rufus.
Coyotes are Canis latrans.

Different SPECIES.

Whether or not Coyotes should be a separate species or just another subspecies (the Grey wolf has many) is a matter of debate in taxonomic circles. However, they are different species as of today.

Then again, the Domestic Dog was a separate species until the 1930's (Canis familiaris, I believe). Today it is considered a subspecies of Canis lupus.

 

[Polypterus]

Interesting thats what Wika say same thing about what I said.

It has been commonly thought that there was a eurasian origin of the Wolf / coyote Ancestor, With the Coyote moving into North America and evolving here independantly of the Eurasian Grey wolf line. The red Wolf and canadian wolf have been off and on called a subspecies of the Grey wolf. This is however not accurate and has been strongly debated. From genetic evidence the origin of Wolves and Coyotes was clearly in North America first, And the ancestor of both was North American. Red wolves and Canadian wolves are very close in line with a coyote geneticlly yet they show a common ancestor with the Eurasian Grey wolf. The earlier Grey wolf genetic material in these independantly evolved species shows there was not a Eurasian ancestor to the Grey wolf line.. Indian Wolf is another example of a divergent offshoot from a common Wolf / coyote ancestor that gave rise to the four branches. It is clearly divergent from the grey wolf line and evolved indepently of it. In measuring genetic drift one can actually watch how these different Wolves evolved starting in NA then across Asia and into Europe and Africa. The evolved Grey wolf line then Back tracked Across Europe, Asia and then back into North America.

Pretty cool stuff if you ask me

 

[Polypterus]

Grey Wolves are Canis lupus (genus and SPECIES).
Red Wolves are Canis rufus.
Coyotes are Canis latrans.

Different SPECIES.

Whether or not Coyotes should be a separate species or just another subspecies (the Grey wolf has many) is a matter of debate in taxonomic circles. However, they are different species as of today.

Then again, the Domestic Dog was a separate species until the 1930's (Canis familiaris, I believe). Today it is considered a subspecies of Canis lupus.

Of coarse they are different species... I find more interest in tracking the origins of them and where the species / subspecies have drifted...

Taxonomic circles will continue to screw with them until your head hurts. For instance the red wolf has again been placed as valid to Subspecific status only. (Check ITIS)

 

[MN_Rebel]

Its offical, the coyotes and the grey wolf are not same species. These coyotes from mountains are just regular coyotes adapted to the mountain life, not as subspecies of grey wolf.

 

[latshki]

where I live we have on average the biggest coyotes in canada
reaserchers say that when they came to our Island they bred with wolves on the mainland and became larger we also have a very dense population of coyotes