what kind of animal is this?

[the funny farm6615]

he's back!! and has been seen by 2 neighbors. but the dnr has been telling us all that "there are NO wolves in this area"

i will try to get another picture

 

[michickenwrangler]

Wolves ARE making a comeback. Th Michigan DNR has confirmed their existence in the Lower Peninsula.

There are wolves in MN and WI, not too far from you. It is entirely possible that a lone wolf looking for territory has wandered into Iowa. They have incredible stamina and can travel up to 40 miles a day, although 20 is more likely. It IS possible.

BTW, the MI DNR still hotly denies the cougars that are regularly reported in the state. One was even captured on a game-cam but the DNR said it was a domestic cougar.

Now, I know there are crazy cat ladies that have so many cats they cn't keep track, but you'd think she'd know if her COUGAR went missing! If someone had one as a pet, at least a few locals would know and say something.

 

[warthog]

I too would also say Wolf.

Whatever he is lovely, but as everyone says watch your animals carefully. Presumably there will be more than one.

Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[Clurin]

That looks like an eastern coyote to me. The easterns can get pretty big (males upwards of 80lb). He's a bit west for a typical eastern, but I'd say it's more likely than a lone wolf from much further north.

Here's a picture of an eastern marked like a wolf. I can't post a URL or IMG yet, so need to copy/paste the link.

i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc167/myblackjackcat/EasternCoyote.jpg

 

[pairadice]

That is a wolf. I have seen them many times. They survive just fine here in Upper MIchigan so they wouldn't have any trouble in Iowa. The DNR is notorious for denying these things. In my experience, they are braver than the coyotes. I've had them in my driveway 30 feet from my house! Saw them for several years before they started on my sheep. One year I lost 15 out of 45 sheep to those b&$@^$*s !! I live next to a busy road so I am reluctant to get a guard dog for fear it would end up getting hit by a car should it stray outside the fence. BTW, they lose their "pretty" status when they decimate your livestock and you can't legally do a thing about it. The National Humane Society keeps lobbying to keep them on the endangered list even though they are now thriving.

 

[elevan]

99.9% sure that is a wolf
0.1% would be for eastern coyote

 

[phoenixmama]

he's back!! and has been seen by 2 neighbors. but the dnr has been telling us all that "there are NO wolves in this area"

i will try to get another picture

Honestly, I don't have much faith in the kinds of animals that the DNR say aren't around.

We have jaguars here in Arizona. That's right, I said JAGUARS.

My vote: a wolf...and it's easier for the DNR to say otherwise.

 

[savingdogs]

I do not think that is a coyote. That sounds much too large, but I am from the west coast.

I think it looks like either a wolf, a wolf/dog cross or a dog breed that is closely related to a wolf.

Even if they are not known to be in your area, people have "pet" wolves and wolf hybrids and it would not need to be "native" to be there, or to be running loose there. I've also seen some pet dogs that looked remarkably like wolves but were just mixes, especially when the picture is a little obscure like that.

A dog can survive on its own, especially certain breeds. THAT kind right there I bet is one of the breeds!

 

[chandasue]

I've seen some very large fluffy coyotes. The tracks would really be more telling. Wolves have huge feet in comparison. The nose/muzzle seems too narrow to be a wolf. I suppose anything's possible but I'm on the bitter edge of the wolf zone in central MN. It's not like they're starving up here and would wander that far to find food. Could be a dog/wolf cross since there are people that do breed them.

 

[cattlecait]

I have little to no faith in the DNR, at least the Michigan DNR. Especially if the DNR guy said you can shoot coyotes but would not say that you could shoot THAT coyote.

Can coyotes and wolves interbreed? Could he possibly be an escaped wolf-dog hybrid?