Comments on: Jackals moved north because wolves were eradicated

By: Isegoria

Isegoria — Sat, 23 Feb 2019 14:21:03 +0000

I was actually thinking the exact same thing, L.C. — which is odd, given how cool wolves are. Too on the nose?

By: Adar

Adar — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 18:47:58 +0000

The first thing the wolves did when they were reintroduced into Yellowstone was kill half the coyotes in the park. 2,000 coyotes in the park pre wolf, 1,000 coyotes post wolf.

A competitor for food and also you can’t have two tough guys on the same block. One has to go.

By: L. C. Rees

L. C. Rees — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 16:34:52 +0000

“Wolf-headed god” sounds so pedestrian.

“Jackal-headed god”: that has some crackle.

Anubis, thy honor is taken from thee.

By: Isegoria

Isegoria — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 14:28:29 +0000

Yeah, as we've mentioned before, the coywolf is more than the sum of its parts.

By: Bob Sykes

Bob Sykes — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 13:13:56 +0000

The golden jackal, like the coyote, can interbreed with dogs and wolves. In the US, eastern coyotes are now about 5/8 western coyote, 2/8 wolf and 1/8 large dog. The hybrid is about 50% larger than the western original, forms packs and happily lives besides people in cities. It is believed that 2,000 of them reside in Chicago, many down town.

The Eastern Coyote has been proposed as a new species. It is a threat to pets and small animals and even to humans, especially children. It will be interesting to see if that happens in Europe.

For some details, go look up Stanley D. Gehrt. Professor & Wildlife Extension Specialist, Ohio State University.