Black Coyotes

[poconoron]

Here in the Pocono Mts. region I have seen a number of black coyotes.

In fact, as I recall over the years, I've probably seen coyotes here on about a dozen occasions and 3 times they were black (25% rate). I understand that down in Virginia the coyotes are black about 25% of the time. My few experiences with ADK coyotes however, have all been of the standard grizzled gray/brown variety.

What are the experiences of our forum members? Anyone see black ones in ADKs?

[white bear 05]

Saw one in Blue Ridge Road and the Juction with the road to Elk Lake, in 1981 or '82.
white bear 05

[taiga]

It is very possible that what you saw was a wolf, because black wolves are far more common that black coyotes

[Harvey44]

I saw a dog-like beast, in the backcountry of the Siamese. It was black. Not sure what it was. But it was 10 years ago - could it really have been a wolf? I suppose it COULD have been a dog or a mix?

M

[taiga]

where is siamese?

Is siamsese near the lake placid area? I had a friend who lived up in the Saint Regis area, and she said she heard wolves howling. Also a few people around town spotted both a black and white wolf roaming the area.
Wolves are very shy and typically hide from humans. So the chances of seeing a wolf are rare and special. If it was a wolf you saw, consider yourself very lucky. They are very mysterious and beautiful animals.

[Keithk]

I'm from the Tri-Lake region...

and it's not at all uncommon to hear coyotes howling up here in northern NY.
I know little about the coloration of coyotes, but I do know that as far as the state is concerned, there are no wolves in NY. Indeed, many people debate whether wolves should be "re-introduced" to the ADK's (I put re-introduced in quotes because it's not totally clear if we ever had a pure wolf population).

Let me quote briefly from the ADK atlas, which is an amazing resource, and has some great info about wildlife in the region:

"Exactly who the eastern coyotes are is still a mystery. The standard theory is that they are western coyotes with an admixture of wolf traits that they picked up while migrating eastward. But this may be too simple: while eastern coyotes are believed to have at least a few wolf genes, no one knows whether these genes are responsible for their "wolflike" traits."

One of the "traits" they are talking about is the diet of our coyotes, which includes far more (50+%) deer than the diet of western, pure coyotes. I believe the size of the animals here is also part of the equation. I can personally attest to having seen a wild canine near Lake Kushaqua that seemed substantially larger than true coyotes are supposed to be.

The atlas goes on to explain that there is ALSO debate about whether eastern wolves are pure wolves.

So, this issue is anything but clear. It seems very likely that there are some wolf genes floating around in our wild canine population. However, anyone who thinks we have true wolves roaming around in our forests is very likely mistaken.

[taiga]

wolves not coyotes

I have done extensive research on wolves, the wolf that is present in the northeast is called canis lupus lycaon. Which is often called the eastern timber wolf. This is a smaller wolf in general than the wolves seen in the canadian west. This same wolf inhabits northern minnesota. Wolves are capable of traveling great distances and are also capable of staying hidden from people. They are extremely intelligent animals and yes it may be difficult to distinguish an eastern coyote with wolf genes from a true eastern timber wolf. But the size and solid color of the animals witnessed are more than likely pure wolves... or at least wolves with little coyote genetic background. As far as build, wolves are alot like coyotes but wolves are taller and have very long legs... this makes them different than dogs which have shorter legs and a broader chest. Also the howl of a wolf is typically one long note... not yips and barks like coyotes... I have heard both and there is a difference. As for tracks... coyotes and wolves both walk in a single line... meaning their tracks are in front of each other.. dogs however do not walk this way and their tracks will not be in a single line.
I hope this helps clear up any mystery about wolves in the adks... It is such a shame that the officials hate to admit wolves are in the park... or even that they may be... What are they so afraid of?? Maybe their parents read " Little Red Riding Hood" too much to them when they were kids.... who knows.. lol

[dog]

mix

http://www.hemmy.net/2006/06/19/top-10-hybrid-animals/

[Boreal Chickadee]

Dog- That Liger is HUGE!

[Gray Ghost]

And I thought a Liger was something made up in the movie Napoleon Dynamite....

[poconoron]

It is very possible that what you saw was a wolf, because black wolves are far more common that black coyotes

I believe that this is correct, except for one qualification: when coyotes have recently colonized an area, such as they are now doing in southeast US, there tend to be a number of black coyotes for a period of time. This is probably attributable to the known fact that, upon initial colonization, there are a shortage of available mates and the coyotes will sometimes mate with domestic dogs where the black color gene is much more prevalent.

This can result in a period of perhaps several decades, before the black gene trait is finally overwhelmed by the increasing coyote gene pool as the coyote population becomes firmly established. I believe this explains why black coyotes are much more common in Pennsylvania and West Virginia and the Southeast as compared to New England and ADKs. They are a much more recent colonizer here than northern NY and New England, and the gene pool is not as "coyote pure" yet.

[Sasquatch]

We have a black coyote in the group near our house. I've seen them many times in the past when I was growing up in SW PA. They aren't all that rare.