An uptick in deadly crashes of the ghost wolf, a descendant of the extinct red wolf, led TxDOT to install wildlife crossing signs.
Researchers hope Galveston's 'genetically fancy' coyotes could restore national wolf population An uptick in deadly crashes of the ghost wolf, a descendant of the extinct red wolf, led TxDOT to install wildlife crossing signs.
At first glance, they look and sound like regular old coyotes, their voices howling and eyes gleaming as they skulk around.
"This one had a big bushy tail. He was taller. Really large," April Laxson, who saw one recently, said.
"I was glad I wasn't walking home that night. " Researchers of ghost wolves, a coyote descendant of the extinct red wolf and unique to the Gulf Coast, are thankful after Texas officials installed signs to help protect them. Josh Henderson is the supervisor for Galveston Animal Services. When he's not trapping and rescuing other animals on the island, he's studying what are called ghost wolves, named for their ghostly legacies.
"Galveston, we have to put a little bit of fancy on everything we do, so Galveston's coyotes are fancy genetically," Henderson said. "I've been filing animal bite reports since 2006, not one has the biting animal been a coyote. It's a pretty decent track record. I've lost count of how many dogs and cats have bitten people.
" Researchers recently found these fancy creatures carry DNA from ancient red wolves, which the federal government declared extinct in the wild more than 45 years ago. But there's a problem. A pretty high number, until you consider Henderson has tracked 75 that have been killed in car crashes in just the past five years, many along the seawall. Henderson advises that people shouldn't feed them, pet them, and shouldn't get distracted by taking photos of them while driving.
"I promise a coyote doesn't care about his social media presence," Henderson said. "There's not one coyote that I have interviewed that has freaked out about how he looks on camera. " Texas Department of Transportation officials have installed 10 "Wildlife Crossing" signs along Galveston's seawall, hoping to educate residents.
TxDOT said that Environmental Project Planner Brooke Bowman attended a Ghost Wolves Town Hall in January 2025 to learn more about the species and how to protect them as development on Galveston Island increases. Bowman and her team worked with Galveston County officials to analyze coyote mortality data along FM 3005 and, according to TxDOT, identified locations to install the signs where mortality rates were highest.
Last month, TxDOT said it completed installing the wildlife crossing signs to help ensure drivers are aware that animals like the ghost wolf are more likely to cross along the Gulf Coast.
"This project represents a collaborative relationship between TxDOT, wildlife researchers, and local agencies to improve safety for drivers and animals,""You're going to be met at the end of the world, humans are long gone. There's going to be a coyote staring down a cockroach. That is the end of times," Henderson said. For more information on Galveston's ghost wolves, visit the
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