Golden Jackal Canis aureus

The Golden Jackal is native to eastern and southern Europe and much of southern Asia. It is said to be a closer relative of the Grey Wolf than of the African Black-backed or Side-striped Jackals.

It is much smaller than any subspecies of Wolf, with shorter legs to body ratio. It looks more like a fox with its bushy tail. Coat colour varies from sandy/golden (in summer) to more tan and grey.

They live in monogamous family groups in varied habitats (open grassland to full forest) and are territorial. There are several subspecies; the African former subspecies were recently moved to a separate species and are now called the African Golden Wolf (Canis anthus), sometimes called Egyptian or Grey Jackal.