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The world was captivated by the journey of a coyote traversing through San Francisco Bay as it made its way onto Alcatraz Island earlier this year, and after months of research, National Park scientists have deduced 'the coyote’s origin.'
Many assumed that the coyote began its aquatic journey from San Francisco's coastline, highlighting its close proximity to the island, but based on DNA evidence, National Park Service researchers determined the animal likely originated from Angel Island State Park, which is about two miles away from the prison island.
“We are surprised by the coyote’s origin,” said Bill Merkle, National Park Service wildlife ecologist, in a press release. "We couldn’t help being impressed by his accomplishment in making it to Alcatraz. Coyotes are known to be resilient and adaptable, and he certainly demonstrated those qualities.”
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Shortly after the coyote was spotted on Alcatraz, park biologists surveyed the island for tracks, collected samples for laboratory testing, and installed trail cameras and audio recording devices in hopes of locating the animal.
Samples collected by researchers were sent to the UC Davis Mammalian and Ecology Unit of the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory for DNA testing, which confirmed the coyote was a male and matched him to Angel Island’s coyote population.
National Park researchers wanted to locate the coyote as soon as possible to protect seabird nesting habitats located on Alcatraz.
Unfortunately, as of May 6, researchers have not been able to locate the coyote's whereabouts or discover any bodily remains, according to the National Park Service.
“We don’t know what happened to the coyote,” said Merkle. “But he proved himself an expert swimmer to get to Alcatraz, and I hope he made a successful swim back home to Angel Island.”
Noe Padilla is a Northern California Reporter for USA Today. Contact him at [email protected], follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social. Sign up for the TODAY Californian newsletter or follow us on Facebook at TODAY Californian.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: National Park researchers discover the Alcatraz coyote's origins
