This specimen is a Coyote skull and mandible. The Coyote is a canine native to North America and is smaller then the Gray Wolf. Originally limited to the American Southwest and Great Plains and northern and central Mexico, the extirpation of wolves and deforestation by humans has caused this species to flourish with populations now as far north as Alaska, as far east as New England, and as far south as the Panama Canal. Coyote males average 8-20 kg and females average 7-18 kg in weight depending on distribution. Females are typically shorter than males. In Native American folklore, the Coyote is a trickster spirit.