I was on the phone to a few people this morning, including the neighbors and a DNR officer from the Upper Peninsula. Just after dawn this morning, Olly took off after an animal in the back yard. Nothing unusual there, as there is wildlife galore around here. Luckily, I looked outside, as what he was going after today was (I'm fairly sure) a wolf. I called the neighbor to warn them to put in the chickens and puppies, and he told me it's a coyote, not a wolf. Then I called DNR, who said the same thing. I've sent the DNR the pictures I took (I took three pictures, and it didn't seem to care - when I called Olly in, it actually started to follow him toward the house)... and after looking online I think it's definitely NOT a coyote - DNR site says coyotes are 30-45 pounds. It was the size of Olly (I could compare, because he got pretty close to it before I called him back) - so, close to 80 or 90 pounds.
Or, I guess it could be a stray dog... or a giant coyote... the more pictures I look at, the more unsure I am!
4 comments:
Hmmm, we were just at the zoo in OH and saw the gray wolf there, my comment at the time, they looked like Olly. Whatever this is, looks like Olly too. Wonder what DNR will say after looking at the pics.
My first thought was coyote. They don't typically shed their winter coats until mid to late May, so they'll definitely look bigger right now due to the excess fur. Northern wolves are also larger than other species.
Coyotes and wolves have a slightly different face/head structure. A wolves head appears much bigger, typically fuller and rounder. The snout is shorter and larger in perspective to the size of it's head (more thick). A coyote is more oval and lean, with a thinner, longer snout. Coyotes ears also tend to be closer together and longer than wolves.
It will be interesting to see though! Either way, I'm not sure I'd appreciate either in my yard! Yikes.
My bet is a coyote as well. We have ton in our woods as well. In Minnesota my parents have wolves and they are much bigger in size. Big enough to kill off livestock and our family dog. (Springer Spaniel).
Andy (the cat lady) votes coyote, too. The reddish patch on the top of the long snout is the real tip off.
There are a pair of coyotes living at Lochmoor Country Club (Grosse Pointe, MI) Getting closer to the big city.
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