African wolf

This article is about a wolf native to Africa. For the other wolf of Africa, see Ethiopian wolf.

African wolf
Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene – Recent 0.6-0 Ma
African wolf in Haizer, Algeria
African wolves howling
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Canis
Species:
C. lupaster
Binomial name
Canis lupaster
Subspecies
Synonyms

Canis anthus F. Cuvier, 1820[2]

The African wolf (see below for other names; Canis lupaster) is a canine native to North Africa, West Africa, the Sahel, northern East Africa, and the Horn of Africa. It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.[1] In the Middle Atlas in Morocco, it was sighted in elevations as high as 1,800 m (5,900 ft).[3] It is primarily a predator of invertebrates and mammals as large as gazelle fawns, though larger animals are sometimes taken. Its diet also includes animal carcasses, human refuse, and fruit. They are monogamous and territorial; offspring remain with the parents to assist in raising their parents' younger pups.[4]

The African wolf was previously classified as an African variant of the golden jackal, though a series of analyses on the species' mitochondrial DNA and nuclear genome in 2015 demonstrated that it is a distinct species more closely related to the gray wolf and coyote.[5][6] It is nonetheless still close enough to the golden jackal to produce hybrid offspring, as indicated through genetic tests on jackals in Israel,[5] and a 19th-century captive crossbreeding experiment.[7] Further studies demonstrated that it is the descendant of a genetically admixed canid of 72% gray wolf and 28% Ethiopian wolf ancestry.[8]

It plays a prominent role in some African cultures; it was considered sacred in ancient Egypt, particularly in Lycopolis, where it was venerated as a god. In North African folklore, it is viewed as an untrustworthy animal whose body parts can be used for medicinal or ritualistic purposes,[9][10][11] while it is held in high esteem in Senegal's Serer religion as being the first creature to be created by the god Roog.[12]

  1. ^ a b c Hoffmann, M. & Atickem, A. (2019). "Canis lupaster". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T118264888A118265889. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T118264888A118265889.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference cuvier was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ (in Spanish) Moliner, V. U., Ramírez, C., Gallardo, M. & Idrissi, H. R. (2012), "Detectan el lobo en Marruecos gracias al uso del foto-trampeo", Quercus, 319:14–15, ISSN 0212-0054
  4. ^ Estes, R. (1992). The behavior guide to African mammals: including hoofed mammals, carnivores, primates. University of California Press. pp. 398–404. ISBN 0-520-08085-8.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference koepfli2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference urios2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference cuvier3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference gopalakrishnan2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Osborn, D. & Helmy, I. (1980). "Canis aureus lupaster (Hemprich and Ehrenberg, 1833)". The contemporary land mammals of Egypt (including Sinai). Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History. pp. 360–371.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference bidwell2005 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference westermarck2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference gavrand1990 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).