A new "man-made" species of predators called the "coywolf," a breed mix of the coyote and the wolf, is now said to be growing in numbers across North America, with populations reaching millions.
Wolves have always been condemned by humans, with forests being cleared for farming and men purposely persecuting the species. With this, wolves lack sexual partners, subsequently leading to decreased numbers.
As deforestation continues to ensue, wolves are seeing lesser of other wolves and more of coyotes and dogs. It appears that these carnivores seem to be fine with it, or as experts said, the species have no choice. Hence the two animals have to engage in a one-of-a-kind interbreeding that experts now describe as "amazing."
Forest clearing initiated by humans to rid wolves causes coyotes to wander around and bring in farmer-owned dogs into the picture.
Breeding different animal species often result in an offspring that is less robust than either of the parents. However, the mix of a wolf, coyote and dog DNA appeared like an exception to that rule, as evidenced by the growing number of populations of coywolves. Roland Kays, the head of Biodiversity Research Lab at the North Carolina State University said its numbers are now in millions.
Wolves usually hunt in forests and coyotes in the fields. Kays said combining the species has generated an animal that is efficient in catching prey both in the woods and in open terrains.
Another notable indicator of interbreeding is the coywolves' cry. During the initial howl, the sound resembles that of wolves' which is deep-pitched, but later transforms into a higher pitch just like coyotes'.
With the combination of the species, the prairie-exclusive pure coyotes and persecuted wolves in forests have paved the way for the creation of an animal that is able to spread in massive and otherwise uninhabitable areas.
For nearly a decade now, coywolves have been spreading across the northeastern part of America. The numbers are also said to continue rising in the southeast. Now, coywolves may be seen even in urban locations such as Boston, New York and Washington. Chris Nagy of the Gotham Coyote Project said the number of coywolves in New York alone is 20 and it is persistently rising.
The good adaptability of the coywolves are assumed by some to be because of the presence of dog DNA, which balances wolves' animosity against humans.
"[It's an] amazing contemporary evolution story that's happening right underneath our nose," Kays said.
