Wolf Crossing

Wolf Identification

Coyote and Mexican Gray Wolf

The Gray Wolf, and its subspecies the Mexican Gray Wolf differ from coyotes. Wolf hybrids runing in the wilds just confuse the person attempting to identify the canine species as wolf, dog, coyote or hybrid cross. In some cases the Mexican Gray wolf can be hard to identify from a coyote. Click for a side by side comparision of the Mexican gray wolf and the coyote.

Coyote

Scientific Name:	Canis latrans
Common Name:	Coyote
Size:	Males weight 25 - 45 pounds. Female coyotes weigh 22 - 35 pounds
Description:	Coyotes look like small collie dogs. They have erect pointed ears, slender muzzle and a bushy tail. Most coyotes are brownish gray in color with a light gray to cream colored belly. However, color can vary from nearly black to nearly white. Most coyotes have dark or black hairs over their back and tail.
Lifespan:	8-13 years in the wild or 12 - 15 years in capitivity
Range:	Former range - most commonly found on the Great Plains of North America
	Current range - now extends from Central America to the Arctic. Except for Hawaii, coyotes live in all of the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Habitat:	Coyotes can live just about anywhere. They are found in deserts, swamps, tundra, grasslands, brush and dense forests, from below sea level to high mountains. They have also learned to live in suburbs and cities like Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix and Denver.
Social Organization:	Coyotes live in a “pack”, which is a family group of about 5 to 12 animals. The coyote parents are the leaders of the group, called the alpha pair. The alpha pair are responsible for training the other members of the pack. The rest of the group includes their sons and daughters and possibly a few other close relatives. The coyote family eats, sleeps, travels, plays and hunts together as a team making them an effective and adaptive hunter.
Breeding:	February and March and have their pups in April and May. Average litter size is 5 to 7 pups.
Prey:	(omnivores) rabbits, carrion (dead animals), rodents, deer (usually fawns), insects (such as grasshoppers), poultry, fruit including berries and watermelons.
	Dogs, and cats

Mexican Gray Wolf - also known as el lobo

Scientific Name:	Canis Lupus baileyei (sub species of Gray Wolf)
Common Name:	Mexican Gray Wolf - el lobo
Size:	60 to 80 lbs and from 4 to 5 feet long
Description:
Lifespan:	8-13 years in the wild or 12 - 15 years in capitivity
Range:	Former range - Northern Mexico and southwestern U.S.
	Current range - Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area, Arizona and New Mexico (a rural area where many families, retirement communities, farms and ranches exist near by to cities and more urban communities)
Habitat:
Social Organization:	Wolves live in a “pack”, which is a family group of about 5 to 12 animals. The wolf parents are the leaders of the group, called the alpha pair. The alpha pair are responsible for training the other members of the pack. The rest of the group includes their sons and daughters and possibly a few other close relatives. The wolf family eats, sleeps, travels, plays and hunts together as a team making them a preditor on the top of the food chain.
Breeding:	Breed in late January to early March and give birth to an average of 4 – 6 pups in April or May.
Prey:	Elk, deer, peccaries, rabbits, rodents and carrion
	Dogs, horse, colts, calves, cattle, mules, ….

Click for a side by side comparision of the Mexican gray wolf and the coyote.