We have just received the interim DNA results from the Blanco blue dog carcass. Richie and Naomi retrieved tissue samples last year and they have languished in Naomi's freezer ever since. The DNA report from Davis Labs in California is only partly conclusive. They write: "Because it was a female, we could not examine the paternal lineage markers. We detected coyote in the sample, but the maternal lineage was non-coyote. It will take some more detective work to figure out if it is dog or wolf".
We shall be sending samples to Lars very soon for more tests.
It is very unusual for female wolves to mate with male coyotes. Wild dogs are particular about what mates they have, and all studies I've seen have found only male wolves bred to female coyotes.
ReplyDeleteThe cross is possible, but in general it is harder for a smaller male canine to mate with a larger one. Especially if that female is of a species that normally kills the male's species.