Ethiopian wolf
| Ethiopian wolf | ||||||||||||
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Ethiopian wolf ( Canis simensis ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Canis simensis | ||||||||||||
| Rüppell , 1840 |
The Ethiopian wolf ( Canis simensis ) or Ethiopian jackal is the rarest of all wild dogs . In older literature one finds this animal under the name "Abyssinian fox", but this is an inappropriate name because of its long legs and its systematic position.
features
The shape is similar to that of a jackal . The Ethiopian wolf measures 1 m (head-trunk length) plus 30 cm tail. It stands 50 cm high to the shoulder. Its fur is red-brown, throat and chin are colored white. The snout is elongated and fox-like. His body weight is around 18 to 20 kilograms.
habitat
The Ethiopian wolf is only found in some mountains in Ethiopia and eastern Sudan. The center of today's distribution is the Bale Mountains National Park . The habitats are high alpine and are located at treeless heights between 3000 and 4400 m.
As the fields of local farmers move higher and higher into the mountains in these regions, this wild dog is increasingly deprived of its nutritional basis, because the newly created usable areas have to give way to the rodent-rich grassy areas. According to an estimate from 2006, there are only about 700 individuals of this species left, which are therefore classified as severely threatened.
Way of life
The Ethiopian wolf is less versatile in its diet than other dogs. It feeds on mice and rats to 96%. The African mole rat is its main prey. The remaining 4% of the food spectrum is covered by gray mulls , other small rodents, young birds, bird eggs, dwarf antelopes and carrion. Most of the time, the Ethiopian wolf gets hold of its prey by digging it out of its burrow.
Like other representatives of the Canis genus, the Ethiopian wolf lives in packs that are led by an alpha pair and can consist of two to thirteen members. Together they patrol the borders of their territories every morning. Nevertheless, the Ethiopian wolf then goes on the stalk alone and does not use the superiority of a group for food acquisition when hunting. Often they lurk motionless in front of a burrow , more like a cat, until their prey comes out of the hole and then jump at their prey.
Unlike most other wild dogs, it is diurnal.
Evolution and systematics
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Phylogenetic system of the genus Canis according to Koepfli et al. 2015
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The Ethiopian wolf is assigned to the genus of the wolf-like and jackal-like ( Canis ) as Canis simensis . With the nominate form Canis simensis simensis and C. simensis citernii, two subspecies are distinguished.
As part of the presentation of the genome sequence of the domestic dog , Lindblad-Toh et al. 2005 published a phylogenetic analysis of dogs (Canidae) based on molecular biological data. The Ethiopian wolf is compared to a clade from the golden jackal ( C. aureus ), the coyote ( C. latrans ) as well as the wolf ( C. lupus ) and the domestic dog ( C. lupus familiaris ). In the context of this presentation, the monophyly of the wolf and jackal-like species (genus Canis ) was questioned, since the striped jackal ( Canis adustus ) and the black-backed jackal ( Canis mesomelas ) as sister species as the most basic species of all other representatives of the genus as well as the red dog ( Cuon alpinus ) and the African wild dog ( Lycaon pictus ). These two species would have to be included in the Canis genus in order for it to survive as a monophyletic genus.
Hazard and protection
The Ethiopian wolf is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). In addition to the increasing depletion of the food supply, diseases such as rabies and distemper are the biggest problem for the Ethiopian wolf. These diseases were and are currently introduced by the shepherds' stray dogs. An outbreak of rabies in 1990 decimated the largest population to date from around 440 animals to less than 160 in just two weeks, and another outbreak occurred in 2003.
Claudio Sillero-Zubiri , a zoologist from the University of Oxford , and Alastair Nelson from the Frankfurt Zoological Society are now trying to preserve the species, in particular through their efforts to vaccinate against rabies . However, since oral vaccination in the form of the usual European use of baits provided with the necessary vaccine is not permitted in Ethiopia , attempts were first made to capture each individual animal for a vaccination injection . However, the teams could hardly manage this effort, which is why they started vaccinating the shepherds' dogs instead of the wolves.
At the end of 2008 there was another outbreak of rabies. It is currently assumed that around 500 individuals of this species are still alive. To protect the species, seven protected areas have been designated in the country. Furthermore, several research projects are ongoing to enable further protective measures for the species.
supporting documents
- ↑ Klaus-Peter Koepfli, John Pollinger, Raquel Godinho, Jacqueline Robinson, Amanda Lea, Sarah Hendricks, Rena M. Schweizer, Olaf Thalmann, Pedro Silva, Zhenxin Fan, Andrey A. Yurchenko, Pavel Dobrynin, Alexey Makunin, James A. Cahill , Beth Shapiro, Francisco Álvares, José C. Brito, Eli Geffen, Jennifer A. Leonard, Kristofer M. Helgen, Warren E. Johnson, Stephen J. O'Brien, Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Robert K. Wayne: Genome-wide Evidence Reveals that African and Eurasian Golden Jackals Are Distinct Species. In: Current Biology. 2015, doi : 10.1016 / j.cub.2015.06.060 .
- ↑ a b Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Canis simensis in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
- ↑ a b Canis simensis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012.2. Posted by: J. Marino, C. Sillero-Zubiri, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
- ↑ Kerstin Lindblad-Toh et al .: Genome sequence, comparative analysis and haplotype structure of the domestic dog. Nature 438, December 2005; Page 803–819. ( Abstract ).
Web links
- Pictures and films on www.arkive.org
- Canis simensis inthe IUCN 2012 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: J. Marino, C. Sillero-Zubiri, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2013.