At least four coyotes came through the yard the other night. Keep an eye on pets and small children. Worth nothing - this is New England, and these are eastern coyotes.
Western vs. Eastern Coyote
Though eastern coyotes are still considered to be the same species as the western coyotes and retain the typical cleverness of any coyote, the eastern cousins do have a few different traits that developed as the animals and their descendants continued their expansion eastward after mixing with wolves. It looks like this “new” canine cousin of the western coyote may be so successful in the East because it combines coyote brains with wolf brawn.
According to Roland Kays, who directs the Biodiversity Lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, interbreeding between eastern wolves and western coyotes probably helped the new hybrid coyotes adapt to going after the prey that is easily available in the east. “The wolves passed on characteristics that made these coyotes slightly bigger,” Kays says. “That also resulted in wider skulls, which we think allows them to have a stronger jaw that can handle larger prey, such as deer.”
Western Coyote: 3.3 to 4.3 feet in length
Eastern Coyote: 4 to 5 feet in length
Western Coyote: 15 to 20 inches tall at the shoulder
Eastern Coyote: up to 25 inches at the shoulder
Western Coyote: 20 - 30 lbs
Eastern Coyote: 30 - 50 lbs