What is a coywolf?

Are they in Illinois?

A coywolf is a term still disputed in the scientific community. It refers to what is more commonly called an eastern coyote, which is mainly coyote with a small amount of wolf gene influence. The term coywolf is misleading because it suggests a 50/50 hybrid cross between a wolf and a coyote, which it is not. There is no evidence to support that eastern coyotes reside in Illinois and it would be unlikely that they could be differentiated by the public from the typical western coyote. Despite some opinions, facts indicate a wide-range of weights/coat conditions in coyotes and there is no significant difference between eastern and western coyote sizes. Western coyotes are what you see in Illinois.