PHOTO CREDIT: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
I recently attended a presentation of the Volusia County Extension Office. Dr. Raoul Boughton, University of Florida, presented a program about coyotes and their effect on Florida ranches. University of Florida presents great programming for the public, and for a naturalist, it’s a great way to add depth to what we know.
The coyote (Canis latrans, var. Eastern) branched off from the eastern and red wolf approximately 150,000 years ago. Because they are closely related, coyotes and wolves overlap in range. Coyotes and red wolves can interbreed. Although red wolves are twice the size of coyotes, they are at risk of becoming outbred because there are so many more coyotes than red wolves.
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