A lone coyote was first spotted in January by visitors who saw the exhausted animal paddling toward the rocky shores of Alcatraz.

The New York Postreported that witnesses captured video footage and described the animal as cold and visibly fatigued after battling the bay’s frigid currents.

This coyote has become the center of an extraordinary wildlife mystery afterbiologistsrevealed the animal swam nearly two miles through the rough waters of San Francisco Bay to reach Alcatraz Island.

The discovery stunned researchers, who originally believed the animal had made a much shorter journey from the San Francisco shoreline.

The coyote that managed to swim to Alcatraz Island earlier this year likely made the epic journey from Angel Island State Park, not San Francisco as previously presumed, the National Park Service said.https://t.co/lILimcihKzpic.twitter.com/B0H8qSvJID

— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea)May 5, 2026

DNA testing of scat collected on the island confirmed the male coyote likely originated from Angel Island State Park rather than San Francisco itself. That finding doubled the estimated swim distance and transformed an already unusual wildlife sighting into a remarkable survival story.

Dr. Ben Sacks at the UC Davis Mammalian Ecology and Conservation Unit (MECU) explained that “Three distinct coyote populations could have been the source of the Alcatraz coyote: San Francisco, Southern Marin, and Angel Island,” and he continued saying “Our lab was able to take the DNA sample and match it to a coyote previously sampled from the Angel Island population” as reported byKRON4.

Videos captured during the incident quickly spread online, drawing international attention and raising questions about how the predator managed to survive such a dangerous crossing. Alcatraz is surrounded by swift currents and icy waters long considered hazardous even for experienced swimmers.

A coyote made famous after swimming to Alcatraz Island in January recently gave scientists another surprise as they discovered where he came from.https://t.co/S4neihUpfHpic.twitter.com/LnFCdowyKT

Source: VidNews » Feed