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. 2017 Sep 1;12(9):e0184342.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184342. eCollection 2017.

Studies of wolf x coyote hybridization via artificial insemination

L David Mech  1 , Cheryl S Asa  2 , Margaret Callahan  3 , Bruce W Christensen  4 , Fran Smith  5 , Julie K Young  6
Affiliations

Studies of wolf x coyote hybridization via artificial insemination

L David Mech et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Following the production of western gray wolf (Canis lupus) x western coyote (Canis latrans) hybrids via artificial insemination (AI), the present article documents that the hybrids survived in captivity for at least 4 years and successfully bred with each other. It further reports that backcrossing one of the hybrids to a male gray wolf by AI also resulted in the birth of live pups that have survived for at least 10 months. All male hybrids (F1 and F2) produced sperm by about 10 months of age, and sperm quality of the F1 males fell within the fertile range for domestic dogs, but sperm motility and morphology, in particular, were low in F2 males at 10 months but improved in samples taken at 22 months of age. These studies are relevant to a long-standing controversy about the identity of the red wolf (Canis rufus), the existence of a proposed new species (Canis lycaon) of gray wolf, and to the role of hybridization in mammalian evolution.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. General distribution of sympatric western wolves and western coyotes and sympatric eastern wolves and eastern coyotes.
Boundaries are general because precise boundaries are unknown and dynamic.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Genealogy chart for the artificial inseminations (AI) and natural breedings discussed in this study.
AI indicates artificial inseminations, including the original [21] and the backcross discussed in the present paper. Ovals represent females, and rectangles, males. Empty symbols show recent offspring not yet given identification numbers. The asterisk indicates that the female could have been bred by any combination of males CW2, CW3, CW4, or CW5. Dashed lines signify the periods over which individuals remained in the study.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Crosses (CW/CW1 and CW/CW2; both males) between brother-sister hybrids of a male western wolf and a female western coyote (Fig 2).
Animals were 14-months old when photographed.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Hybrid between a western-coyote female and a male western wolf [21] backcrossed with that wolf by artificial insemination (Fig 2).
Animal is 1-year-old male 006.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Hybrid between a western-coyote female and a male western wolf [21] backcrossed with that wolf by artificial insemination (Fig 2).
Animal is 21-week-old female 002.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Mech LD. The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species New York: Natural History Press (Doubleday Publishing Co); 1970; 389 pp.

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