Senegalese jackal
| Senegalese Jackal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Genus: | Canis |
| Species: | C. aureus |
| Subspecies: | C. a. anthus |
| Trinomial name | |
| Canis aureus anthus[1] F. Cuvier, 1820 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
senegalensis (C. E. H. Smith, 1839) | |
The Senegalese Jackal (Canis aureus anthus), also known as the Grey Jackal,[2] Slender Jackal or Anthus, is a subspecies of golden jackal native to Senegal.
It is at least an inch higher at the shoulder, and several inches longer than the African grey wolf;[3] adult Senegalese jackals are about 15 inches high on the midsection and 14 inches in length from tail to occiput. The ears are longer, and the head is more dog-like than that of the African wolf[3] and measures 7 inches in length.[4] The tail is not as hairy, and is shorter,[3] being 10 inches long.[4] Its body is also gaunter and more lightly built than that of the wolf[3] and common jackal.[4]
The nose and forehead are greyish-buff, while the throat and under parts are white. It lacks the black ring round the neck, nor the stippled arrangement of black points on the back characteristic of the African wolf.[3] The flanks and back are of a deep grey colour, grizzled with yellow. The neck is greyish-fawn, with grey predominating especially on the cheeks and below the ears. The upper muzzle, limbs, the back of the ears and tail are of a pure fawn colour, while the rest of the body is whitish.[4]
Its vocalisations are not as harsh as those of the common jackal, and it rarely barks as the latter subspecies does. The Senegalese jackal is more easily tamed than the common jackal, and its odour is less strong. There is at least one record of a female Senegalese jackal mating with a male common jackal, resulting in the birth of five pups, three of which died shortly after birth. The two crossbreed survivors were noted to never play with each other and had completely contrasting temperaments; one inherited the sire's shyness, while the other was affectionate toward its human captors.[4]
It is known to hybridize with African wolves.[5]
References
- ↑ Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 532–628. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ↑ (Italian)Motta, F. (editore), Nel Mondo della Natura: Enciclopedia Motta di Scienze Naturali, Zoologia, Quinto Volume, 1957
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 The natural history of dogs : canidae or genus canis of authors ; including also the genera hyaena and proteles (1839) by Charles Hamilton Smith and Sir William Jardine, published by Edinburgh : W.H. Lizars
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 The Animal Kingdom: Arranged in Conformity with Its Organization by Charles Hamilton Smith, Georges Cuvier (baron), Edward Pidgeon, John Edward Gray and George Robert Gray, edited by Edward Griffith, printed for G.B. Whittaker, 1827
- ↑ "Reviving the African Wolf Canis lupus lupaster in North and West Africa: A Mitochondrial Lineage Ranging More than 6,000 km Wide". PLOS ONE. August 2012. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0042740. Retrieved March 2015.