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Difference Between Coyotes & Wolves in North Carolina

Euro-American hunting and development once pushed the red wolf, a smaller relative of the more widespread gray wolf, to near-extinction across its native range in the American Southeast. It was successfully reintroduced to the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina's Outer Banks beginning in 1987, around the same time another wild dog, the eastern coyote, was colonizing North Carolina for the first time. Telling the two apart can be tricky, but there are physical and behavioral differences.

The Red Wolf
- Beasts of coastal prairie, bottomland swamp and cove forest, red wolves were once common in the southeastern U.S. from the lower Midwest to the subtropical Gulf Coast and as far west as Texas and Oklahoma. The reintroduced red wolves are the only known wolves in North Carolina. Intermediate in size between coyotes and gray wolves, they typically weigh between 50 and 95 pounds. They have a reddish hue to their grizzled fur and white undersides.
The Eastern Coyote
- Coyotes now roam all of the lower 48 states, including North Carolina.
  
  Once mainly found in the West, coyotes expanded their range following Euro-American settlement. As populations of wolves, their major predator and competitor, shrank, these opportunistic wild dogs, which survive exceedingly well alongside humans, spread eastward. By the 1990s, they occupied all of North Carolina. These newcomers are called eastern coyotes, although they are still classified as the same species as those called western coyotes. Eastern coyotes often weigh between 30 and 60 pounds, substantially more than the average western coyote.
Physical Differences
- Coyotes are more slightly built than red wolves.
  
  Red wolves are both heavier and taller than coyotes, on average. They also exhibit a more robust build, thicker muzzle and coarser coat. The wolf's longer legs and larger feet lend it a gangly appearance. Coyotes have longer tails and ears and smaller paws relative to their size. While not a steadfast rule, wolves generally hold their tails straight out behind them as they trot, while coyotes carry theirs lower.
Ecological Differences
- White-tailed deer figure into the diets of both red wolves and coyotes.
  
  The ecological niches of the red wolf and the eastern coyote overlap. The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge reports an average pack size of five to eight individuals for the red wolf. Eastern coyotes are often solitary, but may form extended family packs like wolves. While eastern coyotes will hunt white-tailed deer, especially in winter, they mainly target rabbits, rodents and other small animals. Wolves more commonly pursue deer, feral hogs and other large prey, although they also feed heavily on smaller creatures.
Taxonomic Confusion
- The genetic relationship between the red wolf and gray wolf, pictured here, is still debated.
  
  As of 2011, debate continued over the taxonomic position of the red wolf: According to the Department of Natural Resources of Nova Scotia, eastern coyotes appear to be genetically distinct from western coyotes, as well as from eastern wolves. In the book "Eastern Coyotes," Gerry Parker notes that scientists aren't agreed on whether the animal should be classed with the eastern wolf; as a natural hybrid of gray wolves and coyotes; or in some other classification scheme. Meanwhile, eastern coyotes appear to have interbred with relict wolves in their colonization of the East, and may eventually be classified as their own separate subspecies or species.

Nature