Alone coyote that stunned visitorsby appearing on Alcatraz Island earlier this year didn’t just take a daring dip, it likely pulled off an even longer, more grueling swim than anyone first believed.
The canine was first spotted Jan. 24on the notorious former prison island, after a visitor captured video of the unexpected guest and alerted National Park Service staff.Biologists quickly moved in, finding fresh tracks and scat, and setting up cameras and audio equipment to monitor the intruder.
But despite days of evidence and months of follow-up surveillance, the elusive coyote was never seen again.
What happened next only deepened the mystery.Scientists analyzed DNA from the scat at the UC Davis Mammalian Ecology and Conservation Unit (MECU) to trace the animal’s origin.
Initially, experts thought the coyote had crossed the bay from San Francisco, a challenging swim on its own.
The lab results told a different story.
“Three distinct coyote populations could have been the source of the Alcatraz coyote: San Francisco, Southern Marin, and Angel Island,” Dr. Ben Sacks of MECU toldKRON.
“Our lab was able to take the DNA sample and match it to a coyote previously sampled from the Angel Island population.”
That finding means the animal likely swam from Angel Island, roughly two miles north of Alcatraz, doubling the originally assumed distance across the cold, choppy waters of San Francisco Bay.
Wildlife ecologist Bill Merkle said the feat points to the species’ toughness.“Coyotes are known to be resilient and adaptable, and he certainly demonstrated those qualities,” he told KRON.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
