News Animals

Coyotes have the face muscles for that ‘sad-puppy’ look

Domestic dogs’ big-eyed stare may not be the fruit of domestication

This pictuire shows two side-by-side face closeups of a coyote (left) and a beagle making big puppy eyes at the camera (right). Coyotes have muscles used to make those wistful heart-tugging looks, a new study finds.

The coyote turns out to have the kind of face muscles famed for letting dogs (right) widen their eyes into the wistful puppy-dog look that captivate humans.

Jouko van der Kruijssen/Connect Images/Getty Images Plus (left); K.C. Alfred/Moment/Getty Images Plus (right)

By Susan Milius

Coyotes turn out to have face muscles that look capable of making that big-eyed, sad-puppy face that dogs have used to melt human hearts for eons.