The animal's wolf genes allow the coyote to take down bigger prey, whilst its coyote genes let them adapt to built-up areas

Over the past decade, the coywolf has emerged after wolves were hunted and forced north and coyotes moved east from the Great Plains

The coywolf can be 40 per cent larger than the Western coyote, with powerful wolf-like jaws

The animal has 1/4 wolf DNA, 2/3 coyote DNA and the rest is from dog

The wild animal has been spotted roaming around West Virginia and in the land north of the Great Lakes

A new species of predator which is a hybrid of a wolf and an Eastern coyote has been nicknamed a 'coywolf,' by scientists for its unique DNA.

The wild animal has been spotted roaming around West Virginia and the land north of the Great Lakes and was created after humans forced two species to live closer together and mate.

It is a hybrid of a coyote and a wolf and has about 1/4 wolf DNA, 2/3 coyote DNA and the rest of its DNA comes from domesticated dogs.

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Coywolf: The coywolf, pictured here, in West Virginia is a mix of a wolf and coyote

Coyote: The coyote, pictured here, has pointier features and readily populates cities

Wolf: Genetically, the grey wolf, picture here, and the coyote are close relatives but the two animals separated evolutionarily one to two million years ago

These animals have a completely new genetic make-up and were created when previously separate wolf and coyote populations merged north of the Great Lakes.

However, the coywolf is well suited to its habitat.

Genetically, the grey wolf and the coyote are close relatives but the two animals separated evolutionarily one to two million years ago.

Over the past decade, this new breed of animal has emerged after wolves were hunted and forced north and coyotes moved east from the Great Plains.

According to The New York Times: ‘The coywolf can be as much as 40 per cent larger than the Western coyote, with powerful wolf-like jaws.’

It has also inherited the wolf's more social nature, which allows for pack hunting.

Both animals benefit from each other’s genes.

The wolf genes allow the coyote to take down bigger prey, while the coyote genes allow them to adapt to cities.

Scientists have been studying the new bred of animal to learn more.

They made 50/50 hybrids in a laboratory and allowed female coyotes to mate with grey wolves to try and emulate the coywolves genetic base.

There were two failed pregnancies and one litter of six puppies.

And the hybrids appeared to be better at dealing with hard times.

Scientists breed: These animals are 50/50 hybrids made in a laboratory to try and emulate the coywolves genetic base

Experiment: There were two failed pregnancies and one litter of six puppies among the breed, like this one pictured, made in the laboratory

For example, when food is sparse, they'll forage for it, adapting to changing situations.

Altogether, they tend to do better than their parent species who are not hybrids.

Scientists suggest that the emergence of the coywolves, illustrates how human activity often takes away the barriers that separate species.

Another huge factor is the effect that climate change is having on animals' natural habitats.

The Arctic is warming between two and four times as fast as the rest of the planet forcing animals’ natural habitats to change.