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 wolf, 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 at 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 tombs, 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. A more extensive mitochondrial DNA study of wolf-like jackals in Algeria, Mali, and Senegal revealed the presence of wolf-like haplotypes among supposed jackals in that country. This same study also included a field study of the behavior of wolf-like jackals and more typical golden jackals. The wolf-like jackals had wolf-like threat postures, while the jackals behaved more like jackals. The researchers concluded that these jackal-like wolves were actually wolves and should be listed as Canis lupus lupaster, which is the oldest wolf mtDNA lineage still in existence.
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