Mix it up
The eastern and red wolves showed no evidence of independent ancestry; their genomes could be explained solely by admixture between coyotes and grey wolves.

Previous, less comprehensive studies have found genetic and morphological reasons to recognise these wolves as separate species, and others have shown that they seem to be hybrids. Wayne’s study is unlikely to settle the matter. However, it is the highest-resolution look at the problem so far, says Roland Kays of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.

If Wayne’s team is correct, it could spell trouble for the red wolf. The US Endangered Species Act makes no mention of hybrids, so the red wolf might lose its protected status – and the millions of dollars spent on captive breeding and recovery programmes.

That would be unfortunate, says Wayne, because the hybrid red wolf’s small size may mean it is better adapted than a pure grey wolf to life in the south-eastern US.

“Maybe we can’t put a grey wolf in the American south-east,” says Wayne. “Maybe the top predator has to be a smaller wolf.”

The red wolf’s situation shows that the Endangered Species Act needs to catch up to reality, says Kays. “What we’re finding with today’s high-resolution genetic tools is that hybrids are everywhere,” he says. “To say it’s a hybrid, so it’s not worth protecting, just doesn’t work anymore.”