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Turns out "western" wolves can hybridize with coyotes after all
Topic Started: Feb 28 2014, 06:16 AM (923 Views)
MightyKharza
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Omnivore
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Using artificial insemination we attempted to produce hybrids between captive, male, western, gray wolves (Canis lupus) and female, western coyotes (Canis latrans) to determine whether their gametes would be compatible and the coyotes could produce and nurture offspring. The results contribute new information to an ongoing controversy over whether the eastern wolf (Canis lycaon) is a valid unique species that could be subject to the U. S. Endangered Species Act. Attempts with transcervically deposited wolf semen into nine coyotes over two breeding seasons yielded three coyote pregnancies. One coyote ate her pups, another produced a resorbed fetus and a dead fetus by C-section, and the third produced seven hybrids, six of which survived. These results show that, although it might be unlikely for male western wolves to successfully produce offspring with female western coyotes under natural conditions, western-gray-wolf sperm are compatible with western-coyote ova and that at least one coyote could produce and nurture hybrid offspring. This finding in turn demonstrates that gamete incompatibility would not have prevented western, gray wolves from inseminating western coyotes and thus producing hybrids with coyote mtDNA, a claim that counters the view that the eastern wolf is a separate species. However, some of the difficulties experienced by the other inseminated coyotes tend to temper that finding and suggest that more experimentation is needed, including determining the behavioral and physical compatibility of western gray wolves copulating with western coyotes. Thus although our study adds new information to the controversy, it does not settle it. Further study is needed to determine whether the putative Canis lycaon is indeed a unique species.
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0088861
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Munfy
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I wasn't aware this was a debated topic? Most if not all Coyotes east of Quebec are I do believe hybrids, I also think the red wolf is a separate species, the government of nova Scotia agrees with me as if I recall correctly they have a program to remove coywolf pups to try and control numbers in Order to keep them from mixing with the reds and threatening the species
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Hybrid
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Interesting. Have there been any follow ups to this Study?
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VenomousDragon
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I'm not really all that surprised that they can produce offspring artificially
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Hybrid
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VenomousDragon
Mar 14 2015, 04:14 PM
I'm not really all that surprised that they can produce offspring artificially
True, I think that most Species if they are in the same Genus can Reproduce artificially but one thing that I hope they test is would it happen in the wild and would the Coyote or wolf be willing and how do the Hybrids act socially more like Coyotes or Gray Wolves.
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