That Ain’t No Jackal: New African Wolf Species Identified
By Duncan Geere, Wired UK
Conservationists in Egypt have discovered a new species of wolf, which shares DNA with Indian and Himalayan cousins.
The “Egyptian jackal”, as it’s known, is not in fact a jackal at all, despite the visual similarities it bears to another local species, the golden jackal. The discovery sheds light on how wolf species migrated through Africa and Europe — proving that grey wolves emerged in Africa about 3 million years before they spread to the northern hemisphere.
As long ago as 1880 it had been noticed that the Egyptian jackal looked suspiciously like the grey wolf. Several biologists in the 20th century, studying skulls, made the same claim. Still, the creature retained its name. Now, the difference has been formalised.
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