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Clarification: The Animal I am asking about is the MIDDLE one. The larger TOP image and the small animal on the BOTTOM are examples of what the Local Coyotes look like. What I want to know is ... is the Animal in the MIDDLE of my example image, which made the footprint pictured to the right of it, a Wolf or a Coyote?

I repeat ... I KNOW the top and bottom animals are Coyotes ... I'm asking only about the CENTER one.

Sorry if I did not make that more clear to begin with



Alright ... I feel embarrassed now.

I previously made the claim that I saw a Wild Wolf, and ate it's footprint out of the snow.

I certainly saw a wild Canine of SOME kind, (and I really did eat the snowy paw print), but I'm not so sure it was really a Wolf any more.

Yesterday, a young Coyote wandered right into the parking lot between the Lodges here in Grant Village Yellowstone, and I decided to photograph its paw prints as well, for comparisons sake. I was surprised that the footprints were larger than I expected from such a young Coyote, and looked nearly identical to the tracks I saw (and ate) a few days earlier.

Now I'm less certain about what I saw before being a Wolf after all.


Wolf or Coyote?


The Large picture on Top I know is a Coyote.

The middle one is the animal an old man with a Nicer Camera and Binoculars swore up and down to me was a Gray Wolf, (though even when I was looking at it with my own eyes, I was uncertain), and eventually convinced me ... at least temporarily. Next to it is it's Paw Print in the Snow. I saw the Top Coyote and this animal at the same time, on opposite sides of a small island in a creek, so I know they are not the same animal, but they might still both be Coyotes. (Maybe a Male and a Female).

The Bottom Picture is the Pup that wandered through the parking lot here, and again, it's Paw Print is to the right of it. I'm quite certain that was a Coyote, (based on how skinny it was, and the size of it's ears in proportion to it's body).



So is the Middle Animal a Wolf, or a Large Coyote? What do YOU think?

Coyote.

I think yo saw a coyote yesterday, but i'm quite certain that pawprint you ate was from a wolf... Then agian i don't have real proof of that either way so, i'm going to shut up now...

'Tis a coyote. There's tons of 'em around here, I can spot them a mile away.

It's A Coyote, they have longer snouts, and larger ears.

Coyote for sure, the large ears is a give away, not to mention it looks too small to be a wolf.

Coyote.
A wolf's tail only comes to its hock. A coyote's tail will nearly touch the ground. That animal's tail looks coyote length.

Coyotes are neat to see too!

its a coyote... i know one when i see them see at least three of em every day where i live...

apparently the public statement is coyote, there always hope to see a real wolf later though
but i doubt that diminishes the value you got out of eating the paw print snow impression

Lukas wrote:apparently the public statement is coyote, there always hope to see a real wolf later though
but i doubt that diminishes the value you got out of eating the paw print snow impression

(Yeah... now he'll just become the Trickerster, Coyote. )

I have to agree with everyone here; it's a coyote.

You ate the pawprints? What?

And yes, from nothing other than my "gut feelings" the creature looks a lot like a coyote, which I've seen roaming around my own part of town myself -- they're everywhere!

outwarddoodles wrote:You ate the pawprints? What?

Yes, may I enquire as to why you felt compelled to commit such an act?

Kato wrote:

outwarddoodles wrote:You ate the pawprints? What?

Yes, may I enquire as to why you felt compelled to commit such an act?

Part of his return to the pack... The old superstition about drinking water from a wolf's pawprint will make you a werewolf... There was no water cause it was cold and the pawprint was in snow, so... he ate it...

Well ... that's the last time I'm going to trust a tourist with cheap Binoculars.


Honestly, I could tell it was another Coyote from the beginning ... I even told him that ... but his enthusiasm was just so infectious, and I REALLY, REALLY wanted to see a Wolf ... so I guess I ended up seeing what I WANTED to see, rather than what was actually there.

You have to admit though ... it left very Wolf-ish prints in the snow.



I will need to learn how to better distinguish the two.




I guess I'm on a quest now.


... before I leave here in October, I need to find the Wolves, take some pictures of them, find their tracks, and drink from one of them ... just so I can say I did.

Sounds like fun to me.


(Though I will want to be careful about bacteria and parasites in the water if it is in dirt or mud, rather than cleaner snow)

Make a plaster cast of it, then make a mold and drink from that... if you're the abisious kind that is...

WerewolfKeeper3 wrote:Make a plaster cast of it, then make a mold and drink from that... if you're the abisious kind that is...

nonsense, don't be a weeny, take a bold step, if you get a parasite, think of the money you can save on diet fads :p

Lukas wrote:

WerewolfKeeper3 wrote:Make a plaster cast of it, then make a mold and drink from that... if you're the abisious kind that is...

nonsense, don't be a weeny, take a bold step, if you get a parasite, think of the money you can save on diet fads :p

Hey Lukas, if you're so bold, why don't you drink water from a wolf's pawprint?

Besides, that would make a cool drinking cup, don't you think?

WerewolfKeeper3 wrote:Make a plaster cast of it, then make a mold and drink from that... if you're the abisious kind that is...

I don't know where the "Drink water from a Wolfs Paw Print to become a Werewolf" Myth came from, or what the reasoning is supposed to be behind that, but it seems to me that making a cast that is merely in the SHAPE of the print would completely defy the point.

It's not just about drinking from a water basin/cup in the SHAPE of a Wolfs Print, but rather, water which has collected where a Wolfs Paw(s) actually, physically was very recently. ... sort of an Aura/Physical Presence thing ...

A Paw Shaped plaster Cup just would not cut it. (Though it WOULD make for a pretty cool Cup.)


Someone else had a good suggestion earlier. Bring my water bottle, (which I should be doing anyway while hiking, and normally do), and provide my OWN CLEAN water to pour in before drinking it. That would drastically reduce, (though not eliminate) the chance of my catching anything from the stunt.

Another thing I think might be cool would be if I were to get a small glass vial to take with me, and save a sample of the water as a keepsake. It could make for a very interesting conversation piece.



" ... What's the Deal with the vial of dirty Water? ... "

"Oh That? ... that is water I took out of a Wild Wolfs Paw print in the backwoods of Yellowstone. Have you ever heard the myth behind that? ..."

Vuldari wrote:

WerewolfKeeper3 wrote:Make a plaster cast of it, then make a mold and drink from that... if you're the abisious kind that is...

I don't know where the "Drink water from a Wolfs Paw Print to become a Werewolf" Myth came from, or what the reasoning is supposed to be behind that, but it seems to me that making a cast that is merely in the SHAPE of the print would completely defy the point.

It's not just about drinking from a water basin/cup in the SHAPE of a Wolfs Print, but rather, water which has collected where a Wolfs Paw(s) actually, physically was very recently. ... sort of an Aura/Physical Presence thing ...

A Paw Shaped plaster Cup just would not cut it. (Though it WOULD make for a pretty cool Cup.)


Someone else had a good suggestion earlier. Bring my water bottle, (which I should be doing anyway while hiking, and normally do), and provide my OWN CLEAN water to pour in before drinking it. That would drastically reduce, (though not eliminate) the chance of my catching anything from the stunt.

Another thing I think might be cool would be if I were to get a small glass vial to take with me, and save a sample of the water as a keepsake. It could make for a very interesting conversation piece.



" ... What's the Deal with the vial of dirty Water? ... "

"Oh That? ... that is water I took out of a Wild Wolfs Paw print in the backwoods of Yellowstone. Have you ever heard the myth behind that? ..."

Hey, that was me! I was the one who suggested you bring your own water... at least, i think it was me. If it wasn't, someone else take the credit please...

Jeez, I would freak out about getting sick from whatever was on that yote's paw and whatever was festering in that snow *shudder* eeeechhh.

lol, I've been the unwilling recipient of a french kiss from a wolf and I'm not dead yet! People worry wayyy too much about germs these days. I think that's why I'm almost never sick- I have build up antibodies for nearly everything under the sun!

(Just to clarify for those who don't know- wolves lick your teeth to say hi and show their respect, but one girl named Raven for some reason had a habit of sticking her tongue in your mouth to see what you had for lunch XD )

PariahPoet wrote:lol, I've been the unwilling recipient of a french kiss from a wolf and I'm not dead yet! People worry wayyy too much about germs these days. I think that's why I'm almost never sick- I have build up antibodies for nearly everything under the sun!

(Just to clarify for those who don't know- wolves lick your teeth to say hi and show their respect, but one girl named Raven for some reason had a habit of sticking her tongue in your mouth to see what you had for lunch XD )

The 1st thing that popped in my mind after reading that was the scene from Aliens vs Predator Requiem where the alien queen was depositing her eggs in that pregnant woman.

*shudders*

Vuldari, about the water drinking thing: Oh! I get it now. That's actually really neat!

Whenever I find prints left from critters in my area, such as deer hooves or racoon paws, I always lay my hand down on them. I suppose the basic feeling underneath both acts is the same.

MattSullivan wrote:Jeez, I would freak out about getting sick from whatever was on that yote's paw and whatever was festering in that snow *shudder* eeeechhh.

PariahPoet wrote:lol, I've been the unwilling recipient of a French kiss from a wolf and I'm not dead yet! People worry wayyy too much about germs these days. I think that's why I'm almost never sick- I have build up antibodies for nearly everything under the sun!

I'm with PariahPoet ... I know alot of people who are freaked out about germs and getting sick all the time, have a bunch of anti-biotics, and always get hit hard whenever they DO get sick.

Though it is true that some people are just more naturally vulnerable or resilient to disease than others, something that one must keep in mind is that ... the human body, (just like every other living creature on the planet), evolved in the presence of bacteria and viruses. We are designed to deal with this sort of thing, but it works best if you LET it work.

Don't get me wrong ... I have a large bottle of Hand Sanitizer in my Dorm Room here, and I wash my hands regularly ... but at the same time, I am intentionally not overly concerned about occasional exposure. It is actually GOOD to let yourself get exposed or even a little sick every now and then ... if you do, then like Pariah and I, you will rarely find yourself every REALLY sick at all. (I have not called in "Sick" to work since I caught the Flu while working in a Pharmacy/Store 4 Years Ago)

I frequently find myself experiencing mild cold-like symptoms at some point in the day, at least several days a week, but they are always mild and easily ignored, are gotten over quickly, and even when I DO catch something that is "Going Around", I'm usually over it by the next morning. Essentially, I might wake up with a stuffy nose 3/7 days a week (that might just be an odd quirk of my nose, or how I sleep, and not even infection related at all), and have had chronic headaches in the past (though not recently), but otherwise, I almost NEVER get truly "Sick".


Good Eating/Nutrition habits help too.


This morning, I actually have a bit of a sore throat, (I think it is more from running through melting snow/rain last night in 40 degree weather without a hat and catching a mild cold, than anything I got from that Coyote print on Sunday), and I immediately jumped on it with "Operation Vitamin C". [Sucrets Complete (with Vitamin C), A tall Glass of Orange Juice, a Whole Orange, and Green Tea (spiced with Orange rinds), plus lots of water]

... I'm feeling better already.



Besides ... that Coyotes paws were probably cleaner than my own hands were.