Mexican Grey Wolf in Yellowstone - photo by Tom Whetten
Twice this week I have seen glimpses of a canine. I am still not sure if there are two wolves of different ages/sizes or just odd-acting coyotes here in the pasture with our cattle. The one I saw yesterday was big for a coyote and didn’t move like a coyote. But the sun was in my eyes and I couldn’t tell for sure. Also, I had my border collie young dog with me and figured I had better get her away – just in case. She would be a tasty dinner for a wolf.
At any rate, I didn’t go closer to look – so I am still not sure if it was a coyote or a wolf.
Today, driving the 4-wheeler to the horse/cow pasture, a grey streak ran across the road in front of me. I stopped and looked but it had vanished. It didn’t run and stop and look back like coyotes frequently do – it vanished. I have no idea how I could not see the critter when it had just been 10 feet in front of me. This one was much smaller than the one yesterday. It certainly could have been a coyote, size wise. But it didn’t really look quite like a coyote. But again I didn’t get a good look. I’ll just keep my eyes open.
We have seen wolves here several times. So these certainly could be more wolves. I don’t want to report a wolf sighting to the Forest Service or Fish and Wildlife until I know for sure that I am seeing wolves and not coyotes. Those folks have enough work to do without going on a false ID call.
Mexican Grey Wolf in Yellowstone - photo by Tom Whetten
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Nice post! It can be hard to distinguish Mexican gray wolves from coyotes, especially when they have shed out their winter coats. I hope you get a better look next time.
By the way, the wolves in Mr. Whetten’s photos on this page are gray wolves (Canis lupus), but they are most assuredly not Mexican gray wolves (the subspecies Canis lupus baileyi). There are no Mexican gray wolves in Yellowstone. They are present in the wild only in Arizona and New Mexico, mostly inside the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area—with a handful of occasional dispersers outside the boundaries of the Apache and Gila National forests and the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. Also, there are no all-black Mexican gray wolves. They are all “multicolored,” similar to the wolf in the top photo.
For good comparison photos and info on distinguishing Mexican gray wolves and coyotes, check this page on the website of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/es/wolf_difference.shtml