The City of Bones delivers: emwolfilie and I found a tarp in the desert, and inside was a very strange find - a carcass from a mysterious canine that wasn’t quite a coyote, nor quite a wolf, nor quite a dog.
I compared it to a large coyote skull (background), and it has broader orbital lobes, a more pronounced stop, and very thick canine teeth.
The claws were enormous, taupe in color, and blunter than a normal coyote’s, but not as big an adult wolf’s. Fur in the area had coyote-esque color and texture.
Fun! Maybe a Coywolf?