It's a "dark-phase coyote".

Living in the Hudson Valley we have all had our own experiences running into all sorts of wildlife, but I don't know anyone that has seen one of these. According to News 10 and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation it's a dark-phase coyote.

This rare sighting happened earlier this month in Wynantskill, New York, which is located north of the Hudson Valley near Albany, in Rensselaer County. Kelly Finelli told News 10 how it all went down. She said she was upstairs in her house back on January 4th, when she looked out her bedroom window to see what she thought was a large dog, but she realized that it was no dog.

Like most of us Finelli grabbed her cell phone and started to record. Here is what she captured....

After watching the video she captured, she shared it with some of her neighbors to let them know about a large coyote in the neighborhood. Her neighbors encouraged her to send the video to the NYSDEC to see if they might be able to identify what they saw.

That's exactly what the DEC did! DEC Wildlife Biologist Mandy Bailey Watson, said that, "This is a dark-phase coyote! Coyotes come in a wide range of coat colors, from blonde to red to black. The dark ones are certainly not common, though we do get a couple of reports a year. Definitely a neat sighting!"

Watson also explained that seeing something like this isn't a cause for concern because seeing a coyote during the day is "not uncommon". She also said that breeding season is approaching for coyotes and with that they will be more active and visible.

If you do come across a coyote in the Hudson Valley experts at Coyote Smarts say you should,

Be as big and loud as possible, do not run or turn your back.
Wave your arms, clap your hands, and shout in an authoritative voice.
Make noise by banging pots and pans or using an air horn or whistle. These sounds can also alert the neighbors.

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