I have heard they may have become wold hybrids. When I was a kid out you rarely saw yotes, but heard them every night. Thought the 1st reports of yote attacks were nonsense because they were so smart and timid. Something certainly changed. Now I have seen them running down the street in broad daylight. Absolutely fearless.
The fur market for coyote pelts tanked two years ago. It is not worth a fur trappers time to set, maintain and check coyote traps. Nor is it worth the time to skin, flesh and board the pelt. Sooo........ Fur trappers aren’t controlling the coyote population any more. They are only going to multiply and go forth looking for prey. If the fur market comes back the population will start to be under control again.
Yes, those are technically coy-wolves. Common in the north.
Down here it’s mainly just coy dogs. Smaller, more inclined to hunt in a pack.
Coyotes are typically intra-sexually aggressive, so when you see a pair it’s male/female. Groups will cooperate, but very loosely.
Coy dogs overcome that and you’ll get a small packs operating in a pack, which is much more serious issue. I beat the crap out of a coyote with a stick when I was about 6 (it was going after our chickens) to put it in perspective.