Remarkable Rediscovery of Red Wolf DNA in the Wild | Chasing the Tide

Ron Wooten, a resident of Galveston Island in Texas, noticed something unusual about the “coyotes” that live in his community. He began taking photos of these animals and collecting biological samples from roadkill. After years of observations and with the help of two scientists, Drs. vanHoldt and Brzeski, Wooten’s hunch proved to be true—the canines they tested share DNA with both coyotes and red wolves. This was a remarkable discovery since red wolves were declared extinct in their natural habitat in 1980.

Engage in these learning resources to learn what scientists, with the help of the community, have discovered about the mysterious canids of Galveston Island.  

NOTE: The closed captions, Transcript, Background Reading, Discussion Questions, and Activities are also available in Spanish.