Published • loading... • Updated
Coyote Who Swam to Alcatraz Island Went Twice as Far as Previously Thought
DNA analysis showed the coyote came from Angel Island, confirming a 2-mile swim to Alcatraz that biologists had not expected.
- On Sunday, the National Park Service announced that DNA testing confirmed the coyote spotted at Alcatraz Island earlier this year originated from Angel Island State Park, not San Francisco.
- Biologists initially assumed the animal swam from San Francisco, which is 1.6 kilometers away, but the coyote actually completed a much longer 3.2 kilometers swim from Angel Island.
- Ben Sacks at the University in Davis matched scat samples to the Angel Island population, confirming the origin after NPS staff surveyed Alcatraz for tracks and evidence.
- Despite relocation efforts to protect seabird nesting habitats, officials never captured the coyote on cameras or found it on Alcatraz, and "we don't know what happened to the coyote," said NPS wildlife ecologist Bill Merkle.
- Project Coyote founder Camilla Fox said the coyote likely sought a mate or new territory, noting that while coyotes can swim, "it is incredibly rare for humans to spot one.
Insights by Ground AI
50 Articles
50 Articles
According to the researcher, the coyote showed special resilience and adaptability.
·Finland
Read Full Article
Scientists baffled after unexpected creature emerges on Alcatraz
A lone coyote stunned biologists and others when it paddled its way to remote Alcatraz Island earlier this year, a former federal prison in the San Francisco Bay surrounded by swift, choppy waters notorious for thwarting prisoners’ escapes. At the time, biologists guessed the coyote swam from San Francisco, which is a little over 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) from the fortress. But it turns out the male coyote actually made an even longer swim from ne…
Floyd, as some call him, swam more than three kilometers to the famous prison.
·Belgrade, Serbia
Read Full ArticleCoverage Details
Total News Sources50
Leaning Left13Leaning Right7Center26Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Center
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources are Center
57% Center
L 28%
C 57%
15%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
