Some great pictures of the Eastern Coyotes(Coywolves) that are making Eastern Massachusetts their home.............These Coyote pictures give you a real good look at the difference between Eastern Coyotes that have a good 10% Eastern Wolf genes running through their veins.............A very different looking Coyote than those found in the Prairie States--Wolf-like face with a body weighing in at 35-60 pounds versus the largest Western Coyotes that top off at 25 to 30 pounds-------Massachusetts Coywolf(Eastern Coyote) biologist Jon Way(who should have been featured in the recent PBS special, MEET THE COYWOLF) provides further insight on the species in the article below

Courtesy of: Steve ChiccoCoyotes have been spotted in Marion and Mattapoisett. This one was spotted in Marion earlier this month.

Coyotes spotted in Mattapoisett

Coyotes spotted in Mattapoisett

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By Matthew Bernat | Jan 24, 2014

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MATTAPOISETT — While recent “coyote” sightings are causing a howl among residents, an expert on the animals says the term isn’t entirely accurate.

“We don’t have any ‘coyotes’ here in the Northeast and Massachusetts specifically,” said Jonathan Way, who studies coyotes on Cape Cod and the South Coast.Way, a research scientist at Clark University, said the animals recently seen cruising backyards and town streets are a hybrid of sorts.

“All eastern coyotes have wolf DNA and I argue we should be calling them ‘coywolves’ instead,” he said. The coywolves have been spotted in Marion village and more recently in Mattapoisett.

In 2007, Way’s research confirmed that area coyotes are part wolf.

Largely a predator of the prairie, western coyotes migrated to Canada around 1900 and bred with red wolves. In the 1950s, coyotes arrived in Massachusetts. Before that the animals were not found in the state.

The eastern coyote is larger than ones found out west.

Chris Demakis, owner of Mattapoisett's Town Wharf General store, described one of the animals as being about the size of a German shepherd.

On Jan. 16, he was putting things into his car near his business on Water Street when he saw it about 15 feet away.

“I said, ‘Oh my God, that’s an enormous coyote,’ and then it went running up Barstow Street,” said Demakis.

He didn’t get a picture, but mentioned the encounter on the store's Facebook page. Soon after neighbors posted their own photographs and stories about eastern coyotes.

Animal Control Officer Kathy Massey said she has received reports about the animal throughout town.

“He shows up in the morning and I get calls anywhere from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.,” said Massey. “He likes us and he’s all over the place apparently.”

The Mattapoisett reports follow a rash of sightings in Marion village. Police there released information on what residents should do to keep themselves and pets safe.

In suburban areas the animals can feed on, squirrels, chipmunks, trash and pet food. Massey has the following tip for residents: “If you don’t want them in your backyard get rid of your bird feeder.”

Other tips include: Make trashcans “critter proof.” Keep small pets or poultry in enclosed areas that wildlife will not be able to get into. Don't leave pet food outside.

If you have a picture of a coyote to share, email it to matthew@sippicanweek.comand it will posted online.

For information on Way and his research, visit www.easterncoyoteresearch.com.

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(Courtesy of: Steve Chicco)

Steve Chicco snapped this photograph of a coyote in Marion earlier this month. (Courtesy of: Steve Chicco)

(Courtesy of: Steve Chicco)

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