The coyote bears a marked resemblance to a smallish German Shepherd-collie mix. Coyotes are spread throughout most of North America. Unlike the tracks of wolves and feral dogs, coyote prints tend to be long and narrow. Both once ranged throughout much of the United States. Today, red wolves are restricted to a small area of southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.
Wolves tend to be larger than other canines, although some dog breeds can exceed their size.
These varieties, however, are usually easily recognized. A sure sign of the presence of wolves is their large, heart-shaped prints, too large to belong to coyotes and most dogs. Wolves are intelligent big-game hunters and should be treated with caution. Some are free-ranging pets that never went home, some were abandoned by their owners, and others are descended from such animals. Whatever their origins, they're among the most dangerous predators existing today.