Who was in the backyard?

Our big event was early Wednesday morning (7:35 a.m.) as hubby was on the phone canceling the car maintenance, an hour and 87 km away! It was above zero last night, then the snow changed back to rain. Then, it was just below zero. Our driveway was a 100m skating rink!

Pink = freezing, blue =  snow, green = rain!

As he talked to the service peeps on the phone, looking out at the trees drooping with ice, he saw what he thought was a large German Shepherd crossing our backyard. Yikes!
We have no domesticated dogs that run loose. There isn't much for them in the wetland!

Out I went to measure the tracks, at hubby's suggestion. (He has a bad back!)

The keys to identifying a track (coyote vs. wolf)  lies in the number of toes, and the size of a paw print, as well as the tracks themselves. Then, if you can see the claws, that means it is likely canine (like the ones below), as opposed to the large wild felines. Domesticated cats, fishers, raccoons all show their toes, as do the coyotes and wolves.

Another clue, figuring out who is hibernating (bears), and who is estivating (squirrels)! I'm thinking the raccoons would well be awake again! Reptiles brumate, since they are unable to regulate their body temperature.

These wolves were in the store - sadly stuffed

So far, knock wood, our CoyWolf won't track across the backyard in the daytime. (It does in the dark!) It went across the back yard this past week. He chased a deer up onto the lawn this year [March 26 - during a long winter], and paced back and forth across the back, refraining from coming out into the open in the day. He was impressive to watch! Fearing coming onto the lawn.

 I'd rather have a wolf than a coyote because the coyotes are getting used to people and civilization. There have been horror stories from those in the cities, with pets disappearing.

Wednesday's tracks were quite distinct. The coyote's outer two toes are larger than the front. In the wolf, it is the reverse. Mine looked about the same. Coyotes cannot bring down a deer. Wolves, in a pack, can. We have a lot of road kill and our CoyWolf has hauled a body back into the bushes to feed.

Measure	Coyote	CoyWolf or Eastern	Grey Wolf	Mine
Paw length	6 cm	7 - 9 cm	12 cm	7.6 cm
Paw width	4 cm - 6 cm		10 cm	4 cm
Stride	38 - 40 cm		66 cm	48 cm
Snout	narrow	hybrid	broad
Shoulder height	45 cm		76 cm
Body length	100 - 120 cm	120 -  150 cm	150 - 180 cm
Ears	pointed		rounded
Weight	11- 20 kg	14 - 35 kg.	32 - 45 kg.
	25 - 45 lbs.	30 - 55 lb	70 - 100 lbs

Another clue: the scat. I've seen some 4" long, with much fur (a coyote) as well as 6" long (a wolf). I'm sure we have a larger canine in the area, during my walks through the forest and wetland.
I can only conclude that our visitor was a hybrid that tends to be in southern Ontario. That's what I hope. I'd rather it be a CoyWolf than Coyote!

Land-clearing and exploitation by people, following European colonization, resulted in lower Gray Wolf or  Eastern wolf populations in the southeastern United States and the larger population in central Ontario and southern Quebec.

A permanent ban on the harvesting of wolves (and the similar looking species, the Coyote) in 40 township surrounding Algonquin Park was put in place in May 2004. Eastern Wolves (and therefore Red Wolves) are very small in size compared to the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) living in the boreal forest north of Lake Superior in Ontario.

Hairy fox poo!

 

Two Arctic Wolves – sisters – needed to be to be
taken in by Aspen Valley. 

Zoe the coyote at Aspen Valley

MEASURING A TRACK

• (A) Establish the Line of Travel - toes in front!
• Stride -  right heel to left heel (A)
• Length of Track - toe to toe.
• Length paw print (C)
• Width - of the paw print (D)
• Straddle -  how far the prints stray from the tape measure/centre line



This is how one measures PITCH

• Pitch - green arrow