Black coyotes?

[FOTIS]

From another site but I thought it was very interesting

 

[FOTIS]

another

 

[DrMike]

While melanism is not unheard of in canids, these pictures do make we wonder whether these represent a cross with domestic dogs, or more realistically, a cross with wolves. Fascinating creatures, nevertheless.

 

[Guest]

There are also red color phase coyotes, though I don't have a picture. I saw one twice while bowhunting but never could get a shot.

 

[FOTIS]

While melanism is not unheard of in canids, these pictures do make we wonder whether these represent a cross with domestic dogs, or more realistically, a cross with wolves. Fascinating creatures, nevertheless.

That thought did come to mind Doc.
Some look like German Shepherds.

 

[mcseal2]

I shot a black one several years back. There were 2 others killed within a mile or so of where I got mine over a 2yr span. I'm guessing it was a cross with a domestic dog, but it could have just been the right gene combination. I was really excited when I shot mine, I had been doing some longer range shooting with the 7 mag I was planning to take elk hunting. I spotted him at 575yds mousing in a neighbor's hayfield. With the mowed grass and flat terrain there really wasn't a good way to sneak closer so I set up my range bags on the hood and got him ranged and dialed. I hit him a little low but caught the bottom of the heart. I was planning how to get him mounted until I got up to him and he was mangy. Haven't seen or heard of one in my area since those 3 got shot.

 

[JD338]

Pretty cool looking.

The ones around here are gray and quite a few have some faint stripes through them.

JD338

 

[sask boy]

I have never seen Yotes that color black before.
I am thinking it is crossed as Mike is suggesting.
Are there wolves in the area where these were taken?

Blessings,
Dan

 

[Greg Nolan]

I've seen some black coyotes here in the Sierra Nevada mountains and the ones in my yard are very very dark and course haired. I figured these were crosses but the ones in the Sierras ? 75 miles from people at 8000 ft.

 

[ridgewalker]

I had a place for 16 years in Leadville, CO. I saw coyotes from almost pure white to mostly black. I have no clue why they varied so much.

When we first bought our place in Longmont, CO we had a 7 yard load of garden soil brought into the back yard in the winter to work on the landscape. My old dog had died, so the yard was fair game to local predators...foxes. I looked out the window one cold morning and 5 foxes were digging holes in the 7 yard load and 4 were black. I saw them many times for the next 4-5 years on and off. Then the rabbit population went "caput" and the foxes disappeared.

Today the foxes are red to gray and I wish there were more around. The rabbits are destroying my plants and my GSP cannot keep them out of the yard. My .177 springer takes about 1/week, but that's not nearly enough to slow down the population explosion.

 

[bullet]

they are more than likely coydogs, we have 17 subspecies of coyote here in Mississippi due to inter breeding of dogs and coyotes and their offspring. coydogs are not that scared of humans at times and can be aggressive. I don't know if you guys remember two coydogs going after my grandson and I was able to kill one and when I fire the other took off a different direction. Hard to believe a wolf and coyote would ever pair up. The wolf will kill a coyote if he gets half the chance but I am sure stranger things have happened.

 

[SJB358]

Hard to believe a wolf and coyote would ever pair up. The wolf will kill a coyote if he gets half the chance but I am sure stranger things have happened.

Animals do strange things when they are in love! :shock:

 

[DrMike]

Estrogen! The bane of males regardless of species.

 

[jmad_81]

I missed a black one on our place last winter @ 600 yards with my STW. Had the propper hold on the TMR, but forgot I had dialed down from my 300 yrd zero for some load work

I wanted it so bad! It was a cool looking dog!

 

[Too Tall]

Funny you should mention Leadville, I wintered there, working at Climax. Seen fox in town almost every day. I have a toy Aussie, and she got bit in the back leg by a fox. Sure made her wary about going out in the dark alone.

I shot a black coyote in Utah, over by Kinnacot. Skinned it and had it taned. My oldest Daughter has it hanging on the wall. Shot a almost white one just North of Flagstaff, too.

 

[Woodycreek]

One from a couple years ago when we first started hunting yotes. Here's the link to LRH for more Black ones.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/ ... ote-30823/

 

[FLAT BOLT]

First picture in the snow looks to be a "Coydog" the other guy to get 3 in 1 outing!?!? Wow, something in the genes in that area that were mixed pretty heavily I would think. Black Phase coyote is pretty rare in normal breeding populations. Woodycreek I know you didn't shoot that thing, did Scott let you take a picture with it?

 

[Guest]

Coyotes and both Grey and Red Wolves will readily interbreed in their overlapping ranges, as has been demonstrated repeatedly in mitochondrial DNA studies. Now, currently, that's only a small area for the Reds, but for the Greys, that's a pretty substantial overlap. Moreover, the dispersal range of these Canids is such that these hybridizations are easily explained across the entire North American continent. Thus I suspect some of the color variation we're seeing can be attributed to wolf hybridization of the coyote population. Some of it may come from dogs, as well, but in reality, the vast majority likely comes from wolf DNA hybridization into the coyote population as a whole. In fact, currently there is substantial debate as to whether or not the Red Wolf is in reality even a distinct subspecies or perhaps a morphological variant within the coyote subspecies due to these hybridizations. As our ability to analyze genetic material improves, we're discovering a myriad of things about our presupposed classifications of animals and plants.

 

[SJB358]

First picture in the snow looks to be a "Coydog" the other guy to get 3 in 1 outing!?!? Wow, something in the genes in that area that were mixed pretty heavily I would think. Black Phase coyote is pretty rare in normal breeding populations. Woodycreek I know you didn't shoot that thing, did Scott let you take a picture with it?

This is the kind of black "coyote" I will be looking for shortly!

 

[DrMike]

And I hope you connect, Scotty. The elk will thank you.