Identify this critter! Wolf or Coyote?

[GREEN607]

Mountain Lion


I've seen some big coyotes roaming through my farm. Some you'd swear were big enough to be wolves. I suppose the possibility is out there, so I guess other people besides us closet biologists would be better qualified.

Note-It is possible for a wolf to travel down this far, and up on my in-laws land in WI, they have seen wolves frequently.

Yep, and for years now...... there's been reports of wolf sightings in north & central Illinois. Maybe all the 'developement' going on in Illinois (where they're wacking down all the small parcels of forest), is pushing the wolf population southeast???

 

[awittmer]

I'm pretty sure there are wild wolves in Brookville, Indiana

 

[nate1865]

coy dog

I've seen 'yotes that are as big as German Shepherds in the eastern part of the state.

 

[drgnrobo]

Looks like a wolf from that angle

 

[sadclownwp]

feral dog

 

[SEIndSAM]

OP didn't say where the pic was taken, but remember hearing about a Wolf taken in the Brookville area earlier this year.

 

[45fan]

Could be it is a hybrid, a bit of both.
Eastern coyotes have a touch of wolf in them - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The coyotes in this state do seem to be a bit larger than those found in the western states. Could be that they are a hybrid of the two species, or perhaps, just the same phenomena that causes whitetails in some southern regions to be the size of a large dog, and others of the same species in different demographic areas to be four times that size or larger.

 

[Nightwalker65]

IMHO, facial markings and general coloration are consistent with an average coyote, but the thicker snout and body are not...maybe a really well-fed coyote(seen a few around the state)...........feral dog maybe.....or possibly a hybrid....not inclined to say wolf,but can't rule it out either......just my

 

[AZ Hunter]

Coyote.

 

[Panama]

I'm sayin' coyote too.
These pictures were from last night/this morning, and this yote is a big'un.

 

[djl02]

Domestic dog, also for the guys saying " coy-dog" do some online research on that topic. A coyote will eat a dog before breeding it.

Are you trying to say theres not such thing as a CoyDog? Their as thick as yotes in my area. Alot bigger than yotes.

 

[booey50]

the only way to tell for sure is to shoot it and find out. lol

 

[ViperJock]

Idk what they call those in Indiana but when I lived in Texas we called them squirrels.

Are wolves protected? I am curious if they are considered endangered.

 

[hammer24]

Wolves are very rangy and long legged. I was riding sleds in N. Wisc. two years ago and came across a wolf on the trail. It trotted off about 15 yds into the woods and stared at me (I'd come to a stop.) The thing was TALL, I'm talking great dane tall! I originally thought it was a deer. Really cool, but there is no mistaking a wolf when you see one.

 

[hammer24]

Wolf

coyote

 

[awittmer]

The image was taken in Manchester, Indiana approx. 30 miles from Brookville.

 

[Willie]

My guess is a big coyote.

I had pack of three come by me in Illinois a few years back and the first one out looked way too big to be coyote. Only when the other two joined him could I see that all three were coyotes, but the first one was half again as big as the other two.. Fortunately for him they made a turn before they got to me or an arrow wouldhave ben sent his way.

Huge coyote..

 

[GREEN607]

I downloaded the 2 pics, the one of a known 'Wolf', and the clearer version of the OP's trail cam pic (unkown).

Since the photos showed the Wolf at a greater distance from the camera, I resized the 'unkown' photo to approximate the size between the two animals.
After viewing and comparing them, based strictly on just these two pics...... I am now of the mind that the OP's pic, is possibly a photo of a "Coy-dog".

I will say tho, that the better way to know for sure (if that's possible)..... would be to find the OP's specimen's trail, and check the tracks.

Pic of predator- Wolf

Pic of predator- 'unknown'

I'd be willing to bet, that he could be as "mean" as the Wolf tho, if confronted......

 

[Exodus]

Wolf

Holy hell thats big!

 

[ATOMonkey]

I have seen grey wolves up close and personal at a zoo, and they are really leggy and tall. Timber Wolves are even bigger.

The OP's pic is not a wolf. It's not your average prarie/western coyote either.

I think that the midwestern coyotes are evolving into larger pack oriented predators/scavengers instead of smaller single predators. Coydogs (what we know of them) typically are sterile, so it's hard for them to pass their genes along.

Just my opinion, but I think what we're seeing is just your average local evolution due to environmental pressures like terrain, poulation density, and food availability.