One tough coyote

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

[QUOTE=sisu27;4514828]
So what were they if they were not Coyote? I believe the RCMP shot one but it got away. It was fairly well reported and by reputable news sources…I’m sort of confused by your scepticism.[/QUOTE]

I’m skeptical because it’s just so far-fetched to me that a little coyote or even two of them could kill a healthy grown woman. And because there’s no proof the animals were coyote, other than the testimony of the officer who shot at one of the animals. The body was never found. I’m sure the officer was upset, and eyewitness accounts given by people under a great deal of stress are notoriously unreliable.

My guess? Feral dogs.

I also don’t believe in coy-dogs. I’ll find a link to a source explaining the natural history of the species if you’re interested in why these critters are pretty rare.
ETA: Here’s one, to an interesting ongoing multi-year study of urban coyotes
http://urbancoyoteresearch.com/About_Coyotes.htm
Scroll down and look to the left for the column on coyote-dog hybrids.
I also think the chart showing the make-up of the urban coyote’s diet is interesting. Only 1% kittycat - not what I’d have expected.

ETA (again): Clicking on the “coyote attacks” link in the study linked above, I came across the following information:

Only one fatal coyote attack in the U.S. and Canada has been recorded in modern history; a 3-year old female in California died of injuries sustained from a coyote attack.

[The_Centaurian]

hey, that’s my car!

Glad to know animals have a chance when Honda Fit owners are behind the wheel

[jaimebaker]

[QUOTE=pAin’t_Misbehavin’;4516590]

I also don’t believe in coy-dogs. [/QUOTE]

What do you mean you don’t believe in them??? Do you think they are mythical creatures or something? They 100% exist, so not sure why you don’t believe in them.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

[QUOTE=jaimebaker;4518488]
What do you mean you don’t believe in them??? Do you think they are mythical creatures or something? They 100% exist, so not sure why you don’t believe in them.[/QUOTE]

I think they’re something of an urban legend, yes.
Of course, some exist - but there are not very many in the wild. If you’d like to know why, click on the link I provided.

[ThreeFigs]

That was an interesting read!

BO claims to have seen a black coyote. I doubted her until I read the article in the link. I’ll be darned!

[Kaleigh007]

Talk to the rangers at the Saratoga Battlefield about the coy-dog problem they have. I have seen them. They are definately NOT coyotes,wolves or feral dogs. They are coyote/dog and more aggressive then a coyote.

[jaimebaker]

[QUOTE=pAin’t_Misbehavin’;4518570]
I think they’re something of an urban legend, yes.
Of course, some exist - but there are not very many in the wild. If you’d like to know why, click on the link I provided.[/QUOTE]

Well, I’ve seen plenty and so have all the farmers in our area. Am I a doggie DNA expert? Nope. Just going on a hunch by what I’ve seen. I could be wrong…wouldn’t be the first time, won’t be the last:) So with that, I’ll direct you to this link where you can scroll down and read that coy-dogs are more common in the Southeast. No urban legend around here.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32976657/ns/technology_and_science-science/

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

I’m confused. The link you provided is about coyote-wolf hybrids. I don’t understand what that has to do with coy-dogs.

ETA: Oh, wait, I found it.

“Generally coyotes kill dogs; dogs avoid coyotes,” [Kays] said, but interbreeding does sometimes occur, although he and his team found very little DNA evidence for it in their sizable sample from the Northeast. He believes “coy-dogs” are more common in the Southeast.

Again, no DNA evidence. And no explanation for why Kays believes coy-dogs are more common in the Southeast.

BTW, I’m in the Southeast. South Carolina has had coyotes since the 1980’s, when a hunt club in the Upstate imported them from out west. Despite thirty years of living in very close proximity to dogs, our coyotes look just the same now as they did then. They’re teensy little things, not much more than half the size of my border collies. Most people seeing them for the first time mistake them for foxes. I don’t think there’s much coyote-dog intermarriage going on.

[jaimebaker]

We’ll just have to agree to disagree then. If a wolf and coyote will breed (which is FAR more unlikely) then I don’t know why it’s so hard for you to believe coyotes and dogs are breeding.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

[QUOTE=jaimebaker;4520484]
If a wolf and coyote will breed (which is FAR more unlikely) then I don’t know why it’s so hard for you to believe coyotes and dogs are breeding.[/QUOTE]

Why do you think wolf/coyote breedings are “FAR more unlikely” than dog/coyote breedings? It would seem just the opposite to me. Wolves and coyotes at least live in some kind of social structure (packs for wolves, family groups for coyotes) and will help raise pups other than their own. I’d think a wolf/coyote cross would have a far greater chance of survival in the wild than a coyote/dog cross.