YOU'VE GOT TO SEE THIS!! (largest coyote ever shot in Newfoundland)

[CV32]

Actually, he'd have a very good reason to expand his territory. Wolves are gregarious. Since he was a lone wolf, there's a good chance he was looking to team up with others to establish a pack. They've collared wolves that have travelled 1000 miles looking for mates,etc. Food isn't the issue, finding other wolves on the island may pose a problem.

This raises an interesting question. If the animal is determined to be a wolf, is its presence here (on the island) purely an abberation or should we conclude that Labrador wolves are expanding their range southward? (I think there has been some evidence of that within Labrador itself, but its largely anecdotal). The severe decline in the caribou population in Labrador might be a factor here.

Some have said the coyote genes in NL contain wolf DNA. I question whether the DNA results from this one will be conclusive anyhow, but I'm not a geneticist.

All 'eastern coyotes' have wolf DNA in their lineage. But you're right, if its not a pure wolf, then the DNA results may not be entirely conclusive.

 

[G P]

And we're talking about an animal claimed to have been shot in Newfoundland, not in Labrador.

Not sure what you are trying to nitpick here.

Yeah, unlike you I was assuming that a wolf would not travel in perfectly straight lines.

I never made that assumption. I simply stated the approximate minimum distance between the two points.

As for Newfoundland coyotes having large territories and moving long distances, yep, well aware of it. I am privy to the Wildlife Division predator research data before most people. The one you're thinking of was collared in the La Poile area and moved over to the Bay d'Espoir area. Not sure how its relevant to the subject matter, though.

The point was that members of this genus travel long distances, even if you find it unusual.

I guess it depends on your interpretation of "unlikely". If you have other reliable evidence of wolves in Bonavista in the last 80 years or so, I'd like to hear about it. But, in any event, having come full circle, we find that we don't really disagree. Imagine that.

The entire point I'm trying to prove is that the animal or its parents/grandparents (if it is a hybrid) most likely came from Labrador recently. The distance the animal would have had to travel (500 km) does not disprove this point.

 

[G P]

Didn't the hunter say that the animal was being accompanied by a smaller animal? Maybe it had found a mate already.

 

[CV32]

Not sure what you are trying to nitpick here.

I thought the geography lesson was unnecessary and a bit rude to dangertree. Everyone knew we were talking about the potential presence for a wolf having been taken on the island, not in Labrador. That's all.

I never made that assumption. I simply stated the approximate minimum distance between the two points.

And I'm saying that 500 km straight line distance from Labrador isn't terribly useful for our purposes. Personally, I think its far more likely that if it came from Labrador, it wandered 800 km (or more) before ending up at Halfway Pond. In the end does it really matter one way or another? I think not.

The point was that members of this genus travel long distances, even if you find it unusual.

I don't find that point unusual at all. And I don't think anyone disagreed. I do find the presence of a wolf in the Bonavista region unusual. Not impossible, just out of the ordinary. Why is that difficult to grasp?

The entire point I'm trying to prove is that the animal or its parents/grandparents (if it is a hybrid) most likely came from Labrador recently. The distance the animal would have had to travel (500 km) does not disprove this point.

I don't think anyone here disagreed with that. Have you considered that you are trying to prove something that no one is discounting?

 

[CV32]

Didn't the hunter say that the animal was being accompanied by a smaller animal? Maybe it had found a mate already.

Yup, and by its tracks, he assumed it was a coyote.

 

[G P]

I thought the geography lesson was unnecessary and a bit rude to dangertree. Everyone knew we were talking about the potential presence for a wolf having been taken on the island, not in Labrador. That's all.

The "geography lesson" as you put it was neither rude nor unnecessary. I simply stated some facts without sarcasm that some people may have not been aware of. It may have come off as rude if I added a bunch of to the end. If you choose to interpret it as rude then we can disagree on that point.

And I'm saying that 500 km straight line distance from Labrador isn't terribly useful for our purposes. Personally, I think its far more likely that if it came from Labrador, it wandered 800 km (or more) before ending up at Halfway Pond. In the end does it really matter one way or another? I think not.

I thought you originally meant it was 800 km in a straight line, that's why I brought it up.

I don't find that point unusual at all. And I don't think anyone disagreed. I do find the presence of a wolf in the Bonavista region unusual. Not impossible, just out of the ordinary. Why is that difficult to grasp?

It is unusual for a wolf to be on the island, it is not unusual for it to wander a few hundred km's. My point was that if it had crossed the Strait of Belle Isle, it could have easily wandered to just about anywhere on the island.

 

[CV32]

The "geography lesson" as you put it was neither rude nor unnecessary. I simply stated some facts without sarcasm that some people may have not been aware of. It may have come off as rude if I added a bunch of to the end. If you choose to interpret it as rude then we can disagree on that point.

We can agree to disagree without any hard feelings.

It is unusual for a wolf to be on the island, it is not unusual for it to wander a few hundred km's. My point was that if it had crossed the Strait of Belle Isle, it could have easily wandered to just about anywhere on the island.

I don't disagree.

 

[G P]

Well, I'm glad that's settled.

 

[Sandrewb]

...

 

[Sandrewb]

Anymore info on this? Other then the information in the 2 links already posted I cant seem to find any other information or an update. A coworker is very interested in the DNA testing results.

Thanks

 

[CV32]

Anymore info on this? Other then the information in the 2 links already posted I cant seem to find any other information or an update. A coworker is very interested in the DNA testing results. Thanks

Still working on it, afaik, but you might hear something this week. DNA sampling also had to be done from comparative species.

 

[G P]

Soon.

http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?mn=2&ID=22293

 

[AWOL]

 

[CV32]

We don't have Henry Andrews on staff, but Sid Hammerback is a Newfoundlander.

 

[pbr streetgang]

tagged for interest.

 

[Ballistic Experience]

Looks like a wolf to me.

 

[caper587]

People have been saying for years that the coyotes on the east coast here are crossed with different wolf species. I'm curious to see what the DNA results say. I know of one taken this year in CB that went 62 lbs. As far as traveling on ice flows, people on the ferries from CB to NFLD have told about seeing coyotes out on the ice, miles out in the gulf.
A few years ago it was said that a number of grey wolves that were kept at shubenacadie wildlife park disappeared. "?"
The next year I saw a canine on the CB highlands that was bigger than any coyote that I'd ever saw, and it was silvery grey. I was running a forestry harvester at the time, at night, working RPM and 1400 watts of lights. It had no fear at all. Walked right in front of the machine.

 

[uchi]

I have to admit my skepticism about wolf vs coyote, but consider this.

We live on an island. The last wolf was killed on this island in the 1930s. The straight line distance between the area where this beast was taken and the nearest point where you might typically see a wolf, in southern Labrador: 440 kilometers, separated by 16 km of water, with inconsistent sea ice conditions.

so theres a chance?


(think dumb and dumber near the end )

 

[goulou67]

big fu$%##@ yote on the rock

hi guys! that's a nice big, i d'ont know what! coyote or wolf or cross breed, but there's a bigger one than that, it was caught in the acadian peninsula in northeastearn new -brunswick last week by a fellow that was trackin him for weeks finally had a chance to drill a hole trough him. final weigh in was 86 pounds ,could be a new -brunswick record even a canadian one, if it is really a coyote seen some pictures of it! looks pretty much like a wolf to me, i am no expert but seen lots of dead yotes over the years and this thing d'ont look like no yote i ever seen!!!lol

 

[caper587]

hi guys! that's a nice big, i d'ont know what! coyote or wolf or cross breed, but there's a bigger one than that, it was caught in the acadian peninsula in northeastearn new -brunswick last week by a fellow that was trackin him for weeks finally had a chance to drill a hole trough him. final weigh in was 86 pounds ,could be a new -brunswick record even a canadian one, if it is really a coyote seen some pictures of it! looks pretty much like a wolf to me, i am no expert but seen lots of dead yotes over the years and this thing d'ont look like no yote i ever seen!!!lol

pics? link?