From what I can gather coyotes (Canis latrans), wolves (Canis lupus), are separate species, while dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are a subspecies of wolves. Coyotes and wolves are separate species despite their ability to interbreed, and despite the fact that Coyotes tend to have varying amounts of these other species in their genes. The ability to create fertile offspring when interbreeding means that these are closely related species, but it does not mean that they are the same species. This creation of hybrid offspring is a facet of evolution which could create a new species, which could be better suited for the environment, but until the hybrids are reproductively isolated from the non-hybrids for a long period of time, they will remain a variation of a species rather than their own species.
Recent comments