▁ex changes ▁with ▁the ▁Tex an ▁co y otes ▁among ▁a ▁few ▁individual ▁gray ▁wol ves ▁from ▁historical ▁rem n ants ▁before ▁the ▁population ▁was ▁completely ▁ext ir p ated ▁in ▁Texas . ▁However , ▁the ▁same ▁study ▁also ▁counter ed ▁that ▁theory ▁with ▁an ▁alternative ▁possibility ▁that ▁it ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁the ▁red ▁wol ves , ▁who ▁in ▁turn ▁also ▁once ▁over la pped ▁with ▁both ▁species ▁in ▁the ▁central ▁Texas ▁region , ▁who ▁were ▁involved ▁in ▁circuit ing ▁the ▁gene - flow s ▁between ▁the ▁co y otes ▁and ▁gray ▁wol ves ▁much ▁like ▁how ▁the ▁eastern ▁w olf ▁is ▁sus pected ▁to ▁have ▁brid ged ▁gene - flow s ▁between ▁gray ▁wol ves ▁and ▁co y otes ▁in ▁the ▁Great ▁L akes ▁region ▁since ▁direct ▁hy brid izations ▁between ▁co y otes ▁and ▁gray ▁wol ves ▁is ▁considered ▁rare . ▁ ▁In ▁tests ▁performed ▁on ▁a ▁sample ▁from ▁a ▁tax id erm ied ▁car c ass ▁of ▁what ▁was ▁initially ▁label led ▁as ▁a ▁ch up ac ab ra , ▁mit och ond rial ▁DNA ▁analysis ▁conducted ▁by ▁Texas ▁State ▁University ▁professor ▁Michael ▁For st ner ▁showed ▁that ▁it ▁was ▁a ▁co y ote . ▁However , ▁subsequent ▁analysis ▁by ▁a ▁veter inary ▁gen et ics ▁labor atory ▁team ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁California , ▁Davis ▁concluded ▁that , ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁sex ▁chrom os om es , ▁the ▁male ▁animal ▁was ▁a ▁co y ote – w olf ▁hy brid ▁s ired ▁by ▁a ▁male ▁Mexican ▁w olf .