Coyote... maybe.

I live within 20 minutes of the GSMNP and Cades Cove. I photograph in the cove close to 100 times a year. I call it my home field. Several of us have seen and wondered about the odd looking Coyotes.

For the record the National Park Service still lists both Gray and Red wolves as residents of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (see below)

CANIDAE

• Coyote Canis latrans
  
• Red wolf Canis rufus floridanus (extirpated)
  
• Gray wolf Canis lupus lycaon (extirpated)
  
• Red fox Vulpes fulva fulva
  
• Gray fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus cinereoargenteus

bhowdy wrote in post #12532127
I live within 20 minutes of the GSMNP and Cades Cove. I photograph in the cove close to 100 times a year. I call it my home field. Several of us have seen and wondered about the odd looking Coyotes.

For the record the National Park Service still lists both Gray and Red wolves as residents of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (see below)

CANIDAE

• Coyote Canis latrans
  
• Red wolf Canis rufus floridanus (extirpated)
  
• Gray wolf Canis lupus lycaon (extirpated)
  
• Red fox Vulpes fulva fulva
  
• Gray fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus cinereoargenteus

http://www.nps.gov …ence/mammal-checklist.htm

I have no idea whether is is a hybrid Woyote or not, but I can take Buford's photos and ask one of my park biologist friends what they think and let folks know their opinion.

Thanks to Buford for posting these wonderful images ... very well captured. where in the cove were they taken?

extirpated means they are a historical resident, but no longer occur in that area.

I think speedemon is right. The reintroduction of the red wolf to the GSMNP was failing in the late 90's. That's when the US fish and wildlife people attempted to gather the remainder of the living red wolves and move them to other protected areas. North Carolina is home to 100-200 red wolves, from what I have read.

However, I think it is very interesting for 2 reasons. 1) Cades Cove is the specific area where the wolf reintroduction was attempted in the park, and where the photo was taken. 2) Coyote are well know to be able to reproduce with wolves and have viable offspring.

Perhaps there is a subset of hybrids roaming the area now. They were definitely in the Cove long enough for interbreeding to take place.

Bhowdy, if you know some park biologists, I would be very interested to get their take on this. I'm not sure how to describe where the photos were taken. It was in the first third of the auto loop, just before the first historical church/cemetery area. You can actually see part of the church in the background of one of the photos.

Any new information?

Thanks for sharing what could be something that none of us has ever seen. KUDOS.

it looks just like the coyote here in Arizona.
I wouldnt hesitate to pull the trigger on my .223 on it.
we shoot them here to keep the population down so the deer and antelope populations can stay intact. Coyote are a nuisance species here.
nice pictures though.

doesn't look anything like the coyotes here in the east.. for one thing.. his eyes are much to dark

It's a Coydog, Coyote-Dog hybrid, they are quite common all over the range of the Coyote, and are considered feral in most locales, as such are unregulated and usually trapped or hunted as they are more dangerous to humans than a regular Coyote.

and as to Coyote fur being worth much it isn't, it'll get $10-%0 for a full wintercoat if you are lucky

EDIT to say this is only my opinion, but I have seen a lot of Coyotes, and a few domestic Coydogs, and it has the appearance of a hybrid

The Florida red wolf looks different, but this guy seems to have some features of the ones around Cades Cove. A positive ID may not be possible from a photo, but an expert opinion would convince me. Either way, you got something pretty rare. Good shots, too.

I grew up on a ranch, and have seen many coyotes in my day, this is simply a healthy coyote.
Best part of this thread other than the photo is the laughs I got from some of these comments, LOL!
More often than not, wolves kill coyotes like they do everything else, not breed with them. I'm sure it has probably happened, but it would be a rare occasion, especially in the wild.

I know you don't have image edit ok but i have PhotoShop and i took all 3 of your images and did a "Auto-ColorCorrect" on all 3 and i have to say this is definitely a Coyote !

barn9 wrote in post #12837558
I grew up on a ranch, and have seen many coyotes in my day, this is simply a healthy coyote.
Best part of this thread other than the photo is the laughs I got from some of these comments, LOL!
More often than not, wolves kill coyotes like they do everything else, not breed with them. I'm sure it has probably happened, but it would be a rare occasion, especially in the wild.

the coat and general appearance say coyote, a big mature one at that, but there is something around the brow ridge and the ears that just seems more domestic canine to me, but I am used to seeing native western 'yotes, where the muzzles is longer and thinner and the ears are proportionally larger than what's on this animal

looks like our Oklahoma coyotes, but healthier - better fed

where is the cove did you see this?