The Coyotes In New England Are Turning Into Something Bigger — And Scientists Have DNA To Prove It

For decades, hunters and wildlife officers across Maine and Vermont reported seeing coyotes that looked unlike anything they had seen before — animals too large to be ordinary coyotes, sometimes mistaken for wolves. Scientists eventually discovered that these strange predators were real, and their DNA revealed a remarkable story: the eastern coyote was becoming something new. Through genetic testing, skull measurements, and decades of research, scientists uncovered how a small population of coyotes crossing into eastern North America mixed with wolves and developed into a much larger, stronger predator. This video explores the science behind the rise of the eastern coyote — from the disappearance of wolves across the Northeast to the arrival of western coyotes and the unexpected role wolf ancestry played in their evolution. Researchers found that northern populations carrying wolf DNA grew larger, expanded faster, and became better adapted to hunting in forests filled with white-tailed deer. What appeared to be a simple case of animals moving into new territory turned out to be one of the most fascinating examples of rapid evolution happening within a human lifetime. Using evidence from museum skull collections, mitochondrial DNA studies, and whole-genome research, scientists have pieced together the history of this hybrid predator. Often called the “coywolf” by the public, the animal is scientifically understood as an eastern coyote with varying amounts of wolf and dog ancestry. The story of this animal shows how ecosystems can transform when one predator disappears — and how nature can rebuild itself in unexpected ways.