Humans Have Created A New Top Predator That Is Taking Over The Northeast

[dogg57]

Humans are no newcomers when it comes to messing around with nature. While we haven't created Frankenstein's monster yet, what we do messes with the natural world. One recent example is the creation of the coywolf — a hybrid of the coyote and the wolf that is also known as the Eastern coyote.

These animals have a completely new genetic make up: Their genes are about 1/4 wolf DNA and 2/3 coyote DNA, the rest is from domesticated dogs. They were created when previously separate wolf and coyote populations merged in the land north of the Great Lakes.

Here's the coyote, which traditionally maxes out at 75 pounds and has pointier features, and readily populates cities By Jennifer Welsh
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/humans-created-top-predator-taken-212420235.html

 

[46er]

Humans are no newcomers when it comes to messing around with nature. While we haven't created Frankenstein's monster yet, what we do messes with the natural world. One recent example is the creation of the coywolf — a hybrid of the coyote and the wolf that is also known as the Eastern coyote.

These animals have a completely new genetic make up: Their genes are about 1/4 wolf DNA and 2/3 coyote DNA, the rest is from domesticated dogs. They were created when previously separate wolf and coyote populations merged in the land north of the Great Lakes.

Here's the coyote, which traditionally maxes out at 75 pounds and has pointier features, and readily populates cities:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/humans-created-top-predator-taken-212420235.html

Personally I think it is the fault of some horny male wolves messin' around with some promiscuous female coyotes. This sounds like an Al Gore funded study

 

[manumuskin]

Exactly what I was going to say only a little differently 46er. How does Coy/Wolf/Dog interbreeding fall in the laps of humans? I"m sure people breed them on occasion but most of this is going on behind human backs,especially the Coyote/Wolf stuff. I also claim that they all are dogs so why the huff? A little out breeding usually does the population good.If the resulting critters are unfit they won't make it,if they are then they will.Ultimately any population that stays in the wild will no doubt be swamped back to a wolf or coyote type dog anyway and what is a coyote but a smaller version of a wolf?Why isn't a hue and cry sounded when different types of people breed? I think that would be politically incorrect and rightly so.

 

[MarkBNJ]

I suppose the pressure we put on the populations through decreased habitat and less access to prey might bring some of them into breeding contact that wouldn't have happened otherwise. Just speculating.