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.](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/100124_sm_coyote-puppy-dog-eyes_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
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)