Andean jackal
| Andean jackal | ||||||||||||
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Andean jackal ( Lycalopex culpaeus ) |
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| Lycalopex culpaeus | ||||||||||||
| ( Molina , 1782) |
The culpeo ( Lycalopex culpaeus , Syn. : Pseudalopex culpaeus , Dusicyon culpaeus ), also known as the Andean fox , Tierra del Fuego fox , Magellan fox , Culpeo , Culpeofuchs or Patagonian fox called, is the behind the maned wolf 's second largest wild dog of South America . However, it is neither a real jackal nor a real fox .
features
An Andean jackal has a head body length of 45 to 95 centimeters, in addition there are about 31 to 50 centimeters of tail. It usually weighs 4 to 7.5 kilograms, but large specimens can weigh up to 13 kilograms. Males are generally slightly longer and 1.5 times heavier than females. The coat color is red-gray. A darker stripe runs across the back, but it is usually only faintly visible. Characteristic for the species are a white chin and reddish brown legs. The tail has a black tip and, in most animals, a dark spot on the top near the base. The number of chromosomes is 2n = 74, the tooth formula is 3 / 3-1 / 1-474-2 / 3 = 42. It has the smallest molars and the relatively longest canine teeth of all South American foxes.
habitat
The Andean jackal is widespread from Colombia ( Nariño province ), Ecuador and Peru via Bolivia to Chile and Argentina . He prefers to inhabit the west side of the Andes at altitudes between 1000 and 4500 meters. Here he lives in open terrain and in deciduous forests that are not too dense. It is also one of the few native land mammals to live on the island of Tierra del Fuego . Compared to other dogs in South America, the Andean jackal is found in the coldest and driest regions of the continent.
Way of life
The Andean Jackal's diet depends on its habitat. The northern populations are pure carnivores, feeding on rabbits and rodents, and less often birds, lizards, insects and carrion. In the south of the range, Andean jackals also eat vegetable food; on Tierra del Fuego this share is around 30 percent. The population density is estimated at 0.2 to 1.3 animals per square kilometer in northern Patagonia and 0.3 to 2.6 per square kilometer in north-central Chile.
Andean jackals live in groups led by an alpha pair who are the only offspring. The leadership of a pack is passed on to female offspring, while males have to leave the group. There are around five cubs in one litter. The females are sexually mature in their first year of life. The wearing time is 55 to 60 days. The pups and are born between October and December and are suckled for about two months; subsequently, both parents feed. The oldest animals caught were over eleven years old; apart from the puma it has no natural enemies.
Systematics and evolution
The Andean jackal is listed in the genus Lycalopex with five other species . The relationships within the genus and to other South American dogs have not yet been fully explored. As the sister taxon of the Andean jackal, the Argentine battle scarf is assumed and both probably had a common ancestor 250,000 to 500,000 years ago. Research shows that the genetic differences between different populations within the two species are greater than between the species themselves.
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Phylogenetic systematics of dogs
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According to Wilson & Reeder (2005), a distinction is made between five subspecies.
- L. c. culpaeus (Molina, 1782) lives in central regions of Chile and neighboring Argentine regions.
- L. c. andinus (Thomas, 1914) occurs in the Altiplano high plateau .
- L. c. lycoides (Philippi, 1896) is endemic to Tierra del Fuego .
- L. c. magellanicus (Gray, 1837) lives in the province of Magallanes and in Patagonia .
- L. c. reissii (Hilzheimer, 1906) lives in the Andes in Ecuador.
- L. c. smithersi (Thomas, 1914) occurs in the mountains of the province of Cordoba .
Fur trade, damage, protection
The Andean jackal is hunted throughout the entire range for its fur. Another reason the culpeo is hunted is because it claims that it causes damage to sheep, small livestock, and poultry farms through killing. This claim is maintained although, contrary to what has been claimed, sheep are barely affected.
The endangerment status is described in CITES Appendix 2. The protection status varies across the entire distribution area. In Peru it is not considered endangered, in Bolivia the export of fur was banned in 1969, but the species is not protected. Hunting is forbidden in Chile but is hardly monitored. Export is legal in Argentina, although the species has been considered endangered since 1983. Argentina and Chile try to manage and research the population sustainably.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 (English).
- David Macdonald: The Great Encyclopedia of Mammals. Könemann in the Tandem-Verlag-GmbH, Königswinter 2004, ISBN 3-8331-1006-6 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e estella M. Luengo Vidal: Wild dogs . Ed .: Udo Gansloßer, Claudio Silleo-Zubiri. tape . Filander Verlag, 2006, ISBN 3-930831-63-5 , Der Andenfuchs, p. 141 ff .
- ^ A b c Claudio Sillero-Zubiri, Michael Hoffmann, David Whyte Macdonald: Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Dogs. (PDF; 9.9 MB) IUCN , 2004, accessed on January 24, 2012 .
- ↑ Lycalopex culpaeus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008 Posted by: J. E. Jiménez, M. Lucherini, AJ Novaro, 2004. Retrieved on 13 May, 2009.
- ^ A b Wilson & Reeder (eds.): Mammal Species of the World . 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 , Lycalopex (English, online ).
- ↑ Kerstin Lindblad-Toh et al .: Genome sequence, comparative analysis and haplotype structure of the domestic dog. Nature 438, December 2005; Page 803–819. ( Abstract ).
