Coyote vs. Wolf vs. Fox

Have you ever been sitting around the campfire, in the wilderness, on a cool evening and heard a distant howling? And then did you wonder whether it was a coyote or a wolf? Or maybe you were out hiking, and you could have sworn you saw a fox dart into a hole, but maybe it was a coyote? Well, if you’ve ever been confused between the three, you’re in luck as we look at coyote vs. wolf vs. fox.

Although they are all part of the dog family (Canidae), there are some differences between coyotes, wolves and foxes. Wolves, on average, are 88lb; coyotes are 35lbs, and foxes are 14lb. Wolves prey on larger animals as a pack, coyotes’ medium animals alone, and foxes smaller animals alone.

Aside from size and what they eat, are coyotes, wolves, and foxes really so different? What are some of their similarities? Do they ever get into conflicts, and what are their behaviors amongst themselves and each other?

The Coyote, The Wolf And The Fox, Differences In Anatomy, Ancestry And Classification

Taxonomy Of Coyotes, Wolves And Foxes

When we speak about taxonomy, we are just talking about how different animals are grouped according to their features and genetic make-up.

By using nomenclature and taxonomy, we can quickly tell how related any two (or three) different species may be.

Below the taxonomical listing are compared for these three species.

Kingdom

Animalia

• All three

Phylum

Chordata

• All three

Class

Mammalia

• All three

Order

Carnivora

• All three

Suborder

Caniformia

• All three

Family

Canidae

• All three

Genus

Coyote

• Canis

Wolf

• Canis

Fox

• Vulpes

Species

Coyote

• Latrans

Wolf

• Lupus, rufus, lycaon

Fox

• lagopus, zerda, pallida, cana, chama, corsac, ferrilata, velox, macrotis, rueppellii, bengalensis, vulpes.

Right from the start, when we compare coyotes, wolves and foxes, we see that they are all closely related.

They are all dog-like carnivores in the Canid family. The first divide happens at the genus level, where foxes break off into their own group, while coyotes and wolves keep the same genus and separate at the species level.

A few notes. Foxes have different species … Read the rest of the story.