![[A black and white cat perched on a rock wall watches three pigeons sitting on a vine.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2022/06/Screenshot-1303.png)
Outdoor cats have gained a reputation. In Disney movies, they’re charismatic. To humans, they’re curious and lovable. Some countries, like Turkey, have made cats a huge part of daily life. Istanbul alone has 125,000 free-roaming cats, fed and taken care of by residents. But to conservationists, they are a massive threat…
Tag: predator
Grey wolves can be black? Recent trail camera footage shows a pack of black wolves in Minnesota
![[A black wolf stands in snow, facing left. It is looking at the camera. There is snow on its muzzle and back leg.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2022/05/black-wolf-sciu-yell-pic.jpg)
Recently, a trail camera in northern Minnesota caught video of a pack of all-black wolves. The video has been viewed more than 950,000 times since it was uploaded in late December 2021. A greyish-brown wolf crosses the meadow in the shot, followed by three all-black wolves. People are fascinated. So, what affects animal coloration? And why are these wolves black?
The new beast in our backyards
![[Reddish brown coywolf in the snow. It has partially turned to face the camera.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2022/02/coyote-face-snow_-_virginia_-_forestwander-1.jpg)
Watch out, Hoosiers! There’s a new predator afoot. Thirty to forty-five pounds, hungry, mobile, and travelling up to 15 miles per day — coywolves are Indiana’s newest predators! A quick note on terms — since the early 1900’s, the term ‘coywolf’ has described a hybrid animal from a wolf and a coyote. The mid-2000’s saw the rise of wolf-coyote-dog hybrids across North America. These creatures are widely called ‘coywolves.’ All uses of ‘coywolf’ or ‘coywolves’ in this article refer to the latter. Scientists are still somewhat divided on whether these triple-hybrids are a separate species…