Gray wolf populations in Africa are minimal with small, endangered populations in Egypt and Ethiopia, based on new genetic findings about the golden jackal (Canis aureus) which is now thought to be a gray wolf (Canis lupus). Also in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) is really a jackal.
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Species Information
Current Wolf Population, Trend, Status
Number of wolves: Unknown
Population trend: Unknown
Legal protection: No protection

Read the Current Biology scientific report, Genome-wide Evidence Reveals that African and Eurasian Golden Jackals Are Distinct Species
In Brief
Koepfli et al. assess divergence between golden jackals (Canis aureus) from Africa and Eurasia using data from the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. They show that African and Eurasian golden jackals are genetically distinct and independent lineages, and that African golden jackals likely represent a separate species.
SPECIES
Common name: gray wolf
Latin name: Canis lupus
Artist’s rendering of an Egyptian wolf

Gray Wolf
REGION 1 – EGYPT
Common Name: arctic wolf
Location: Canadian/Alaskan Arctic
RELATED
SPECIES
Common names: Ethiopian wolf, Abyssinian wolf, ky kebero (Amharic), jedalla farda (Oromo), Simien jackal
Latin name: Canis simensis
Golden Jackal
(Canis aureus)
Photo by
Lee R. Berger

Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis)


The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.