Are coyotes related to wolves?

Answer 1

Yes, coyotes and grey wolves are both canines and are very closely related to each other. Both species share a common ancestor, being the Canis lepophagus, and are still genetically close enough to hybridize and produce fertile offsprings called "coywolves". In fact, the two have hybridized in the wild for hundreds of years in certain regions of North America. The wolves living in the eastern and Atlantic regions of Canada and the north eastern parts of the US are actually hybrids between grey wolves and coyotes. The red wolves, previously listed as a species distinct from the grey wolf, are also canid hybrids descended from grey wolves and coyotes that interbred during the early days when much of the southern US was being converted into agricultural land and the fact that the wolves were among the carnivores being targeted at the time. Coyotes who survived better eventually interbred with the remnant grey wolf populations thus giving rise to these populations of coywolves.