Are wolves and coyotes generally considered the same species or even sub-species of each other?
“Are wolves and coyotes generally considered the same species or even sub-species of each other?”
I’m asking you. What, then, is the definition of species?
My basic understanding is that it is grouping of animals able to interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Sounds like this is not correct if coyote-wolves are fertile. I get that taxonomy is not an exact science, however. Per my definition, if canids are all able to interbreed and produce fertile offspring, then they are really simply sub-species of the same animal - like different breeds of dogs - so closely related so as to be virtually the same animal even though the outer morphology is different. We designete them as different species for convienience sake.
On the other hand, my education on the subject is 25+ years old and I am always eager to learn.
What, besides an inability to breed fertile offspring, defines species?