Whole genome sequences of historical Canadian Canis lupus

Objective Canids have a long and complex evolutionary history, characterized by expansion, diversification, and invasion events. The extant North American gray wolf (Canis lupus) diverged in Eurasia and descended from an ancestral Beringian population that reached North America approximately 25,000 years ago. In contrast, the coyote (C. latrans) remained endemic to North America since its differentiation about one million years ago. The evolutionary history of extant canids of the genus Canis has been debated for decades, especially with respect to the number of species and their relationships. The study of the evolutionary dynamics of natural hybridization within the North American Canis complex deserves further investigation, by analyzing museum specimens. Data description The sequenced specimens were collected from 1924 to 1980 in Alberta, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. We included two putative hybrids to help elucidate the apparent hybridization among C. lupus, C. latrans, and C. lupus familiaris.