Lesson plan
Coywolf
gray wolf × coyote hybrids, Wildlife Science Center in Forest Lake, Minnesota A coywolf is a canid hybrid descended from coyotes (Canis latrans), eastern wolves (Canis lycaon), gray wolves (Canis lupus), and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). All of these species are members of the genus Canis with 78 chromosomes; therefore, the species can interbreed. One genetic study indicates that these species genetically diverged relatively recently (around 55,000–117,000 years ago). Genomic studies indicate that nearly all North American gray wolf populations possess some degree of admixture with coyotes following a geographic cline, with the lowest levels occurring in Alaska, and the highest in Ontario and Quebec, as well as Atlantic Canada. Another term for these hybrids is sometimes wolfote.
Article summary
gray wolf × coyote hybrids, Wildlife Science Center in Forest Lake, Minnesota A coywolf is a canid hybrid descended from coyotes (Canis latrans), eastern wolves (Canis lycaon), gray wolves (Canis lupus), and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). All of these species are members of the genus Canis with 78 chromosomes; therefore, the species can interbreed. One genetic study indicates that these species genetically diverged relatively recently (around 55,000–117,000 years ago). Genomic studies indicate that nearly all North American gray wolf populations possess some degree of admixture with coyotes following a geographic cline, with the lowest levels occurring in Alaska, and the highest in Ontario and Quebec, as well as Atlantic Canada. Another term for these hybrids is sometimes wolfote.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
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- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
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