Evening star., 1952-07-07
Adirondack 'Coy-dogs'
Moy Be New Species
Cross Of Coyotes and Dogs
Appears to be Successful
By Thomos R. Henry
y-dog" is a reality.

~ buVstsOS Ne siSuy
The "coy-dog" is a reality.
It is a new kind Of animal in the
world and q miracle Of genetics, says
Robert c. Cook, editor of the journal Of
Heredity. published here.
The Journal is the official organ Of the
American Genetic Association. Cook has
made lengthy investigation of the re-
ported appearance Of new kind Of dog
apparently cross between q dog and
a coyote-in the Adirondacks. Not only
do these animals seem to defy nature by
being fertile inter-species crosses but
they have appeared In a part of the
country where there are no coyotes.
THAT dogs do ON occasion mate with
their wild cousins" Cook says, "has been
a matter Of rather lengthy record. In his
monograph on the wolves Of America.
DR.. Goldman devoteS considerable space
to such crosses. Such hybrids were con-
sidered to be isolated oddities-mule-like
in their lack OF pride in, or hope for,
poSterity. But this assumption appears
to have been based on inadequate evil
dence. In the Adirondacks coy-dogs are
even becoming numerous enough to form
packs and are being viewed with alarm
as possible menace to agriculture"
Cites Strong Evidence.
Cook quotes reply to his inquiry
from DR.. Clayton Seagears. director Of
conservation education Of the State Of
New York:
There is strong evidence the coyotes
skulls and other characteristics exactly
conforming to type - have bred with
more or less wild dogs In this State for
some time. Many individual animals are
being trapped, shot by deer hunters. and
otherwise obtained. We've had several
litterS dug from dens in May and June.
got one litter Of eight pups last Spring.
Two appeared typical coyotes. four were
spotted black-and- white, one had ears
folded like collie, the others were Jet
black all over.
Il now have alive female caught in
trapsas pup. Although we've had her
three years she remains just as wild as
the day she arrived. Her characteristics
are coyotish. We intend to mate her
with pure coyote from Missouri and
see what happens"
The AdirondackS. Cook points out, are
hundreds Of miles outside the natural
range Of the coyote. Possibly pet coyotes
may have escaped from captivity. The
first coy-dogs appeared about fifteen
years ago and were mistaken for timber
wolves which have been thought to be
extinct in New York for fifty years.
May Become Predator.
That the coy-dog might become q
harmful predator is possible. Cook says.
He Is said to somewhat resemble the fox
in his pilfering around farmyards, but
the game wardens say he Is harder to
trap.
Perhaps the real role Of the coy-dog
is to maintain balance badly upset in
this region. Many Of the thickets are
becoming SO heavily populated with deer
as to create serious problem for
farmers in the cleared valleys. Over
much of this range the deer population
is reaching density which may soon
menace its own survival.
To students of evolution the emer-
gence of this new type in region that
hitherto has been definitely outside the
range Of one of the parent species has
elements of considerable interest. win
time and selective forces acting on dog
and coyote genomes evolve q new
species particularly adapted to the wild
mountain areas Of the Northeastern
States?
Whisker-eating mice; who apparently
represent the emergence Of new
hereditary character in the mouse race.
have just been reported to the American
Genetic Association here.
They have appeared among the pure.
bred strains at the Lankenau Research
Institute, Philadelphia, according to the
report of DR.. Theodore s. Hauschka.
They appear to have an irresistible drive
to eat each others whiskers.
DR.. Hauschka reported an experiment:
"Four male and two female whisker-
eaters, all in full possession Of vibrisSae
(WhiSkerS) were matched in three sep
arate cages and their behavior towards
each other observed for 10 days. Imme-
diately after introduction the animals
registered excitement, manifested by fur.
fiufflng, labored breathing and tall
twitching. In alternate advances one
paw was put firmly on the opponents
forehead; ears, face and neck were
licked, and vibrissae were nibbled. The
passive mouse appeared cowed and re-
tanned hunched pose-eyes tightly shut
for q few seconds after each attack.
Signs of fear disappeared as the new ex-
.perience became familiar.
I'm all three cages dominance Of one
whisker-eater over the other could be
diagnosed in "a hours from the skillfully
denuded nose and orbits Of the losers.
Every winner retained q somewhat de-
Perforated mustache."
Other experiments. he says, have
shown that the hairs are not actually
digested. Various methods Of "cure"
have been tried, in an effort to find the
driving force behind the peculiar be-
havior. Feeding with chopped hair.
keratin, cysteine or yeast Keratin and
cysteine are substances which might be
found in whiskers) had no effect"
Questions and Answers