Mammals · Carnivora · Canidae

African Golden Wolf

Canis anthus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The African golden wolf is a medium-sized canid distributed from Senegal and Egypt to Kenya and Tanzania. For more than a century it was regarded as an African population of the Eurasian golden jackal, until genetic analyses in 2015 revealed that it is in fact far more closely related to grey wolves and coyotes, and that their lineages separated more than a million years ago. It lives in monogamous pairs that defend a territory, sometimes accompanied by young from earlier litters that help raise the pups.

Weight

7 kg – 15 kg

Size

70 cm – 85 cm

Lifespan

10 years

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

SavannaDesertGrasslandOmnivore Nocturnal In pairs Savanna Desert Grassland Mammal

17countries 27parks34same family

Fun facts

It has been recognised as a species only since 2015: until then it was wrongly classified as a golden jackal, in a celebrated case of evolutionary convergence.
The ancient Egyptians associated it with the god Anubis, and many of Egypt's canine mummies belong to this species.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Savannah, semi-desert, scrub and farmland of northern and eastern Africa
Gestation / incubation: 63 days
Litter / clutch size: 4

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canis_lupaster