“That goes a long way toward explaining wolves’ and coyotes’ adaptability and their longevity as species”, not “That goes a long way toward explaining wolves’ and coyotes’ adaptability and their longevity as a species”.

True wolves are extending their range southward and eastward as well. It’s already been established that North American wolves have some domestic dog in their ancestry. The wolf is really more or less a superspecies which hybridizes readily with dogs, coyotes, and jackals in various parts of its nearly worldwide range. That goes a long way toward explaining wolves’ and coyotes’ adaptability and their longevity as a species.