State Museum Opens Exhibition: “Canine Contrasts: Unraveling Wolves And Coyotes In New York”

The New York State Museum (NYSM)  announced today the debut of its latest exhibition, Canine Contrasts: Unraveling Wolves and Coyotes in New York. The exhibit will feature Taxidermy mounts and skulls of wolves and coyotes, both species from the Museum’s mammalogy collection. It will also tell the story of a wolf that was recently mistaken for a coyote and killed by a licensed hunter near Cherry Valley, New York.

NYSM Curator of Birds and Mammals Dr. Jeremy Kirchman said, “We are excited to display the Cherry Valley wolf specimen and use it to anchor an exhibit about the complex interactions between coyotes and wolves in eastern North America. The colonization of New York by coyotes that have hybridized with wolves and the occasional dispersal of individual wolves back into our area is a fascinating story that we are happy to share with the public. Specimen collections like ours are the basis of ongoing DNA research on wild canids here at NYSM and other museums and universities.”

The Canine Contrasts exhibit offers a unique opportunity to explore the differences between wolves and coyotes, including their physical and genetic characteristics and habitats. It also shows how the history of coyote-wolf hybridization has made it difficult for both hunters and wildlife management agencies to distinguish our ubiquitous eastern coyote from the occasional wolf that wanders outside of its core breeding range in neighboring Canada.

The New York State Museum will host two events related to the exhibit.

On Wednesday, July 17, starting at noon in the Huxley Theater, NYSM Curator of Birds and Mammals, Dr. Jeremy Kirchman, will host the "BrainFood for the Curious: Canine Contrasts with Dr. Jeremy Kirchman," which is a short talk held during lunchtime in which he will discuss the natural history of wolves and coyotes. Following the talk, Dr. Kirchman will lead visitors to the new exhibit to continue the discussion. This program, "BrainFood for the Curious: Canine Contrasts with Dr. Jeremy Kirchman," will be held again on Wednesday, August 14^th at 12 PM in the Huxley Theater.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. For additional information, visit the New York State Museum website. 

The New York State Library is part of the Office of Cultural Education within the New York State Education Department. Visit the New York State Library website for a complete list of upcoming programs. To receive news, resources, and other updates, please subscribe to the quarterly newsletter. 

The New York State Archives holds many of the oldest and most important archival treasures in the nation. The Archives preserves and makes accessible over 250 million records of New York’s State and colonial governments dating from 1630 to the present. The State Archives provides free access to photographs, artifacts, documents, manuscripts, and other materials that tell the story of New York’s history via its Digital Collections on the Archives website. 

The Archives Partnership Trust was founded in 1992 to build an endowment and provide project support to enhance humanities programs, increase access to these outstanding treasures, and continue the preservation of New York's historical records. Since its founding, the Partnership Trust, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has supported exceptional projects and programs. These include the Research Residency Program, the Student Research Awards Program, history conferences, special exhibitions, public education programs, book signings and lectures, publications, teacher training institutes, preservation projects, and more.

The State Museum, State Library, and State Archives are programs of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or by visiting the Office of Cultural Education website.