Ice Age coyotes were supersized compared to coyotes today, fossil study reveals
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 - 14:20
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Coyotes today are pint-sized compared to their Ice Age counterparts, finds a new fossil study. Between 11,500 and 10,000 years ago -- a mere blink of an eye in geologic terms -- coyotes shrunk to their present size. The sudden shrinkage was most likely a response to dwindling food supply and changing interactions with competitors, rather than warming climate, researchers say.