Mutant Blue-Eyed Coyotes May Be Spreading Across California
OutdoorHub Reporters 02.12.19
Mutant blue-eyed coyotes have been spotted along California’s coast, leaving wildlife biologists utterly baffled.
Sometime in the early 19th century – believe it or not – coyotes were exclusively thought to be a “western animal.” Today, coyotes have been called the “ultimate American survivor,” dramatically expanding across North America and can now be found in most (if not all) U.S. states.
Coyotes are highly adaptable animals, even capable of thriving in complete urban areas. The omnivores will also eat just about anything, from leather materials to fresh fruit, though they tend to prefer wild prey.
Perhaps the strangest aspect about this canid species as a whole, however, is you won’t find many differences in the way they look from state to state. Some coyotes in warmer climates (think Florida) might not have the thick coat that others in colder climates (Michigan) sport, but for the most part, they’re indistinguishable in coloration and overall complexion.
Except last month, National Geographic reported Daniel Dietrich, a photographer in northern California’s Point Reyes National Seashore, captured a female coyote with one glaring variation: she was equipped with a set of blue peepers.
That’s right, she had all the typical features you typically see on a coyote; long, lanky legs, a silvery-brown coat, and over-sized, triangular ears. However, while nearly all coyotes have brown/golden-brown irises, hers were an “icy-blue.”
“I didn’t think anything of it until I noticed at my computer that her eye color was blue,” Dietrich told Atlas Obscura. “I’ve taken thousands of photographs of hundreds of coyotes and have ever seen that before.”
Since the discovery, more coyotes with baby blues have been seen to the east near Sacramento, and as far south as Santa Cruz.
National Geographic investigated Dietrich’s find back in June of 2018, calling it a “one in a million” discovery. Biologists believe these blue-eyed coyotes are the result of an incredibly rare genetic mutation to the genes that dictate eye color. More so, experts now think the trait appeared several generations ago, and these “newly-documented” canines are “recent descendants of one original “one-in-a-million” mutant blue-eyed coyote.
