Posted by Diana Butzgy on February 17, 2006

Q: How does a small coyote carry its tail when it is loping along? I saw a mammal today crossing a road. What I remember is it was scrawny looking, long leggeg and 25-30 pounds. It's tail was almsot staight and slightyly bushy. The animal gave the appearance of having been caught in a rain storm but it hadn't rained. It did not look like the red foxes I have seen in my area. There are no wolves (yet) in our area, so I am trying to decide if it was a coyote, maybe a gray fox or a sickly dog. I cannot remember what the tip of the tail looked like.

Habitat: swamp

State: Connecticut

Habitat: swamp

A: This is a tough one. For many people, a Coyote simply looks like a dog and is more often than not, ignored. How your animal was carrying its tail really isn't going to help with an ID, I'm afraid. If your mystery animal was indeed 25-30 pounds it could very easily have been a Coyote - foxes are much lighter. There are even quite a few Coydogs too (hybrids between dogs and Coyotes) so there's really no telling what you saw for sure. However, there are plenty of Coyotes in Connecticut so it is very possible that this is what you saw. I've only seen a few Coyotes myself, and my first reaction has always been that I'm seeing a mangy dog. Thanks for asking.

John Wiessinger ( February 19, 2006)