From Feb. 1, 2008
Who isn't interested in their family tree? But for Phylis Canion, it's a search for the lineage of a beast living under the oak trees of her Cuero ranch.
The I-Team had Texas State University evaluate the DNA from Canion's animal, one of three that Cuero residents found last July. The creature is peculiar, lavender-colored animal
Texas State came back with results that say it's from the coyote family.
But Canion wanted to know more, so she sent more DNA off..this time to the University of California at Davis.
The university came back with this: That the beast was in fact a mutt of sorts. On the mother's side, it's part coyote... And on the father's side, it's part Mexican wolf.
UC-Davis scientists say they can't tell when the Mexican wolf heritage made its way into the gene pool -- perhaps generations ago. But Canion believes the father's genes are important and can explain some of the odd characteristics of the creature.
