My experience with actually handling coyotes is limited, but I've seen a lot of 'em in the wild. I'm not sure I ever seen a FIFTY pound 'yote, either alive or dead. I'd have to guess the average across Texas is 40 pounds or under.
Art, how much would you say that animal in the photo above weighed?
And
Long Path, didn't you recently post a picture of you holding a fresh killed yodel dog? It looked like it had been really healthy, a few minutes previously.
There were recently a couple of news stories on from one of the FtWorth/Dallas area TV channels about "mega coyotes." They hang out in the larger suburbs, raiding garbage and eating pet food -- and pets. They are said to be half again the size of a large coyote, 60 pounds or more. Not surprisingly, the weight estimates are exactly that - - Entirely anecdotal and reported by city folks. And, I must admit, a suburbanite seeing a bushy-haired, well fed coyote prowling through the alleyways of Plano or North Dallas could be a bit, uh,
disconcerted.
Don't get me wrong - - I wouldn't want to be set upon by any number of 30 or 40 pound coyotes, in good shape but hungry, and totally unafraid of man.
Various sites with coyote information, including range of size/weight - -
http://www.desertusa.com/june96/du_cycot.html
http://www.bright.net/~swopejak/coyote.htm
http://www.fishbc.com/adventure/wild...als/coyote.htm
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/coyote.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/sub...printout.shtml
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.ed...s_latrans.html
Best,
Johnny