Golden jackal: A new wolf species hiding in plain sight

Golden jackal: A new wolf species hiding in plain sight

A new species of wolf has been discovered in Africa after exhaustive DNA and morphological analyses revealed it is evolutionarily distinct from the Eurasian golden jackal, which it strongly resembles

Thursday 30 July 2015 12.02 EDT



Thursday 30 July 2015 12.02 EDT Last modified on Thursday 30 July 2015 12.39 EDT

The Canid family -- wolves, coyotes, jackals, foxes, domestic dogs and others -- are so familiar to us, and have been so intensively studied for so long that you might think that we know almost everything there is to know about them. But a paper published today in Current Biology belies that assumption. This paper describes the meticulous research conducted by an international team of experts who report a surprising discovery: a new species of wolf.


According to the authors, two golden jackal populations -- one in Eurasia and the other in Africa -- split more than one million years ago, which is sufficient to formally recognise each as separate species. Further, after exhaustive DNA analyses, the authors were surprised to learn that African golden jackals are more closely related to grey wolves, even though there are no grey wolves in Africa and even though grey wolves and African golden jackals look dramatically different. Adding to the confusion, African golden jackals are strikingly similar in appearance to their more distant relative, the Eurasian golden jackal. This strong physical similarity has long been the source of confusion over these animals’ taxonomy and evolutionary relationships.

As a result of this study, the authors propose that the African golden jackal be renamed as the African golden wolf, Canis anthus.

The evolutionary relationships of canids are poorly understood

The evolutionary relationships, or phylogenetics, of jackals have long been a mess, according to Adam Hartstone-Rose, an Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, who was not part of the study. Traditionally, most taxonomists have recognised three jackal species: the black-backed, side-striped and golden jackals -- all of which live in Africa, with the golden jackal also ranging throughout much of Eurasia.

More:
http://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2015/jul/30/golden-jackal-a-new-wolf-species-hiding-in-plain-sight