Egyptian Wolf
Encyclopedia
The Egyptian Jackal also known as the African Wolf or Wolf Jackal is currently listed as a subspecies
of the golden jackal
but may be a subspecies of grey wolf or a unique species in its own right. It is native to Egypt
, Libya
, and Ethiopia
, though its post Pleistocene
range once encompassed the Palestine
region.
was the first to write of wolves in Egypt, mentioning that they were smaller than the Greek kind. Georg Ebers
wrote of the wolf being among the sacred animals of Egypt, describing it as a "smaller variety" of wolf to those of Europe, and noting how the name Lykopolis, the Ancient Egypt
ian city dedicated to Anubis
, means "city of the wolf". Some authors have rejected this as evidence for the existence of wolves in Egypt, as the name was bestowed upon the city by the Greeks rather than its Egyptian creators. Hemprich and Ehrenberg
, upon seeing similarities between North African jackals and wolves, gave the species the binomial name Canis lupaster. Likewise, Thomas Henry Huxley, upon noting the similarities between the skulls of lupaster and Indian wolves, classed the species as a wolf. However, the animal was classed as a jackal by Ernst Schwarz
in 1926. Walter Ferguson of the Tel Aviv University
rejected this classification, and argued in favour of lupaster being a species of wolf, based on cranial measurements.
A comparative genetic analysis undertaken by the University of Leeds
on Egyptian and Syrian jackals
, as well as on wolves from Saudi Arabia
and Oman
, revealed that the classification of lupaster as a jackal could be valid, as there was a sequence divergence of only 4.8% between Egyptian and Israeli jackals, although only limited data were available. However, a collaborative study conducted by the University of Oslo
, Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) and Addis Ababa University
compared the genetic material from golden jackals in Ethiopia with the Israeli and Egyptian samples mentioned above, and with other wild wolf-like canids. The results place the "Egyptian jackal" and similar "jackals" from Ethiopia firmly within the grey wolf species complex, together with the Holarctic wolf, the Indian wolf, and the Himalayan wolf. The analysis indicated that the Egyptian jackal represents an ancient strain of wolf, together with the Indian
and Himalayan wolf
, which colonised Africa prior to the spread of Canis lupus to the northern hemisphere
.
, though the teeth of the Egyptian jackal are not as large.
The Egyptian jackal has a dorsal mane consisting of long, coarse and black-tipped hairs which fade to buff or white ar the bases. The mane extends from the crown to the base of the tail and onto the shoulders and hips. The flanks are yellowish with some black and white-tipped hairs. The chin is greyish, while the throat, belly and the insides of the legs are whitish to yellowish. The chest sports a medial strop of black-tipped hairs. The face is rufous, but grizzled with white, yellowish or black hairs. The feet are orangish buff.
Compared to other wolves, the Egyptian jackal is not gregarious, and is mostly found travelling alone or in pairs. Although a nocturnal animal, the African jackal is occasionally seen in the late afternoon. It shelters in tomb
s, natural caves and crevices. Egyptian jackals living in the north of El-Faiyum reportedly live on fish caught in shallow water, while those of the Nile Valley and Delta
feed on various cultivated crops and fruit and domestic animals. The breeding season
occurs in March, April, and May, with an average litter size of 4.5 and a maximum of eight.
was said to have the head of a jackal.
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the golden jackal
Golden Jackal
The golden jackal , also known as the common jackal, Asiatic jackal, thos or gold-wolf is a Canid of the genus Canis indigenous to north and northeastern Africa, southeastern and central Europe , Asia Minor, the Middle East and southeast Asia...
but may be a subspecies of grey wolf or a unique species in its own right. It is native to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, and Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, though its post Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
range once encompassed the Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
region.
Taxonomy
Historically, whether or not lupaster is a large jackal or a small wolf has been the subject of debate. AristotleAristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
was the first to write of wolves in Egypt, mentioning that they were smaller than the Greek kind. Georg Ebers
Georg Ebers
Georg Moritz Ebers , German Egyptologist and novelist, discovered the Egyptian medical papyrus, of ca. 1550 BCE, named for him at Luxor in the winter of 1873–74...
wrote of the wolf being among the sacred animals of Egypt, describing it as a "smaller variety" of wolf to those of Europe, and noting how the name Lykopolis, the Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian city dedicated to Anubis
Anubis
Anubis is the Greek name for a jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian religion. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis is known as Inpu . According to the Akkadian transcription in the Amarna letters, Anubis' name was vocalized as Anapa...
, means "city of the wolf". Some authors have rejected this as evidence for the existence of wolves in Egypt, as the name was bestowed upon the city by the Greeks rather than its Egyptian creators. Hemprich and Ehrenberg
Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg
Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg , German naturalist, zoologist, comparative anatomist, geologist, and microscopist, was one of the most famous and productive scientists of his time.- Early collections :...
, upon seeing similarities between North African jackals and wolves, gave the species the binomial name Canis lupaster. Likewise, Thomas Henry Huxley, upon noting the similarities between the skulls of lupaster and Indian wolves, classed the species as a wolf. However, the animal was classed as a jackal by Ernst Schwarz
Ernst Schwarz
Ernst Schwarz was a German zoologist.Schwarz was born in Frankfurt and studied zoology in Munich. He worked at the Museum of Natural History in Frankfurt and the Zoological Museum in Berlin. In 1929 he became professor of Zoology at the University of Greifswald. He worked at the Natural History...
in 1926. Walter Ferguson of the Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
rejected this classification, and argued in favour of lupaster being a species of wolf, based on cranial measurements.
A comparative genetic analysis undertaken by the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
on Egyptian and Syrian jackals
Syrian Jackal
The Syrian Jackal is a subspecies of golden jackal native to the eastern Mediterranean region from the coast of Lebanon between Beirut and Tripoli. Jackals were common in Lebanon and Palestine in the 1930s–40s, but their populations were reduced during a zealous anti-rabies campaign...
, as well as on wolves from Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
, revealed that the classification of lupaster as a jackal could be valid, as there was a sequence divergence of only 4.8% between Egyptian and Israeli jackals, although only limited data were available. However, a collaborative study conducted by the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
, Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) and Addis Ababa University
Addis Ababa University
Addis Ababa University is a university in Ethiopia. It was originally named "University College of Addis Ababa" at its founding, then renamed for the former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I in 1962, receiving its current name in 1975.Although the university has six of its seven campuses within...
compared the genetic material from golden jackals in Ethiopia with the Israeli and Egyptian samples mentioned above, and with other wild wolf-like canids. The results place the "Egyptian jackal" and similar "jackals" from Ethiopia firmly within the grey wolf species complex, together with the Holarctic wolf, the Indian wolf, and the Himalayan wolf. The analysis indicated that the Egyptian jackal represents an ancient strain of wolf, together with the Indian
Indian Wolf
Indian wolf and Iranian Wolf are two common names for Canis lupus pallipes, a subspecies of grey wolf which inhabits western India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and southern Israel. Some experts have suggested at least some C. lupus pallipes populations be re-classified a canid species...
and Himalayan wolf
Himalayan Wolf
The terms Himalayan wolf and Canis himalayensis have been suggested by several Indian biologists for recognition as a critically endangered canid species, distinct from Canis lupus...
, which colonised Africa prior to the spread of Canis lupus to the northern hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
.
Description
The Egyptian jackal resembles a large, blackish-yellow dog in size and appearance, with the addition of a dorsal mane. The tail is brush-like and relatively short, with black hairs on the tip and upper side. The front of the forelimbs have black markings. Adults measure 872 mm in head and body length, 312 mm in tail-length (36% of head and body length) and weigh 13 kg. The skull is almost indistinguishable in size from that of the Indian wolfIndian Wolf
Indian wolf and Iranian Wolf are two common names for Canis lupus pallipes, a subspecies of grey wolf which inhabits western India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and southern Israel. Some experts have suggested at least some C. lupus pallipes populations be re-classified a canid species...
, though the teeth of the Egyptian jackal are not as large.
The Egyptian jackal has a dorsal mane consisting of long, coarse and black-tipped hairs which fade to buff or white ar the bases. The mane extends from the crown to the base of the tail and onto the shoulders and hips. The flanks are yellowish with some black and white-tipped hairs. The chin is greyish, while the throat, belly and the insides of the legs are whitish to yellowish. The chest sports a medial strop of black-tipped hairs. The face is rufous, but grizzled with white, yellowish or black hairs. The feet are orangish buff.
Compared to other wolves, the Egyptian jackal is not gregarious, and is mostly found travelling alone or in pairs. Although a nocturnal animal, the African jackal is occasionally seen in the late afternoon. It shelters in tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
s, natural caves and crevices. Egyptian jackals living in the north of El-Faiyum reportedly live on fish caught in shallow water, while those of the Nile Valley and Delta
Nile Delta
The Nile Delta is the delta formed in Northern Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Port Said in the east, it covers some 240 km of Mediterranean coastline—and is a rich...
feed on various cultivated crops and fruit and domestic animals. The breeding season
Breeding season
The breeding season is the most suitable season, usually with favourable conditions and abundant food and water, for breeding among some wild animals and birds . Species with a breeding season have naturally evolved to have sexual intercourse during a certain time of year in order to achieve the...
occurs in March, April, and May, with an average litter size of 4.5 and a maximum of eight.
In Culture
The Ancient Egyptians revered the animal, and the god AnubisAnubis
Anubis is the Greek name for a jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian religion. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis is known as Inpu . According to the Akkadian transcription in the Amarna letters, Anubis' name was vocalized as Anapa...
was said to have the head of a jackal.