African golden wolf
Subspecies Trinomial authority Description Range Synonyms
Algerian wolf Canis a. algirensis Wagner , 1841 A dark-colored subspecies , with a tail marked with three dusky rings . It is similar in size to the red fox Algeria , Morocco and Tunisia barbarus ( C. E. H. Smith , 1839 ) grayi ( Hilzheimer , 1906 ) tripolitanus ( Wagner , 1841 )
Senegalese wolf Canis a. anthus F. Cuvier , 1820 Similar to lupaster , but smaller and more lightly built , with paler fur and a sharper muzzle Senegal senegalensis ( C. E. H. Smith , 1839 )
Serengeti wolf Canis a. bea Heller , 1914 Smaller and lighter-colored than the northern forms Kenya , northern Tanzania
Egyptian wolf Canis a. lupaster Hemprich and Ehrenberg , 1833 A large , stoutly built subspecies with proportionately short ears and presenting a very gray wolf-like phenotype , standing 40.6 cm ( 16.0 in ) in shoulder height and 127 cm ( 50 in ) in body length . The upper parts are yellowish-gray tinged with black , while the muzzle , the ears and the outer surfaces of the limbs are reddish-yellow . The fur around the mouth is white Egypt , Algeria , Mali , Ethiopian Highlands , and Senegal C. aureus lupaster C. lupus lupaster C. lupaster C. sacer ( Hemprich and Ehrenberg , 1833 )
Somali wolf Canis a. riparius Hemprich and Ehrenberg , 1832 A dwarf subspecies measuring only 12 inches in shoulder height , it is generally of a grayish-yellow color , mingled with only a small proportion of black . The muzzle and legs are more decidedly yellow , and the underparts are white Somalia and the coast of Ethiopia and Eritrea hagenbecki ( Noack , 1897 ) mengesi ( Noack , 1897 ) somalicus ( Lorenz , 1906 )
Variegated wolf or Nubian wolf Canis a. soudanicus Thomas , 1903 A small subspecies standing 38 cm ( 15 in ) at the shoulder , and measuring 102 cm ( 40 in ) in length . The fur is generally pale stone-buff , with blotches of black Sudan and Somalia doederleini ( Hilzheimer , 1906 ) nubianus ( Cabrera , 1921 ) thooides ( Hilzheimer , 1906 ) variegatus ( Cretzschmar , 1826 )
Taxonomic history -- Subspecies
Although in the past several attempts have been made to synonymise many of the proposed names , the taxonomic position of West African wolves , in particular , is too confused to come to any precise conclusion , as the collected study materials are few . Prior to 1840 , six of the 10 supposed West African subspecies were named or classed almost entirely because of their fur color . [ 35 ] The species ' display of high individual variation , coupled with the scarcity of samples and the lack of physical barriers on the continent preventing gene flow , brings into question the validity of some of the West African forms . [ 35 ]
The African golden wolf (Canis anthus), also known as the Egyptian jackal or grey jackal, is a canid native to north and northeastern Africa. The species is the descendant of a genetically admixed canid of 72% grey wolf and 28% Ethiopian wolf ancestry. The species is common in northwest and northeast Africa, occurring from Senegal to Egypt in the east, in a range including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya in the north to Nigeria, Chad and Tanzania in the south. It is a desert-adapted canid, and is common in plains and steppe areas, including ones lacking abundant water. In the Atlas Mountains, the species has been sighted in elevations as high as 1,800 metres. It is primarily a predator, targeting invertebrates and mammals as large as gazelle fawns, though larger animals are sometimes taken. Other foodstuffs include animal carcasses, human refuse, and fruit. The African golden wolf is a monogamous and territorial animal, whose social structure includes yearling offspring remaining with the family to assist in raising their parents' younger pups. It was previously classified as an African variant of the golden jackal, with at least one subspecies (Canis anthus lupaster) having been classified as a grey wolf. In 2015, a series of analyses on the species' mitochondrial DNA and nuclear genome demonstrated that it was in fact distinct from both the golden jackal and the grey wolf, and more closely related to grey wolves and coyotes. It is nonetheless still close enough to the golden jackal to produce hybrid offspring, as indicated through genetic tests on jackals in Israel and a 19th-century captive crossbreeding experiment. The IUCN has assessed the African golden wolf's conservation status as Least Concern.