[rufus_foreman]

Coyotes are not native to the eastern US. The eastern US was mostly forest and coyotes don't typically hunt in forested areas. Coyotes only spread to the eastern US after 1900.

Also, eastern coyotes typically also have wolf and dog DNA. Coyotes, wolves, and dogs can and do interbreed. This has resulted in some places in the eastern US in a subspecies that isn't afraid of humans due to the dog DNA, that can hunt in open areas due to the coyote DNA, and can also hunt in forested areas due to the wolf DNA.

[alamortsubite]

Coywolves are also much larger and more powerful than coyotes. It may have been an anomaly, but I had the opportunity to see one close up on the edge of my rural property in PA that was easily the size of a German shepherd.