The creatures known as “golden jackals” are found throughout East Africa, Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, and southeast Asia actually represent two different species, claims new research based on DNA analysis and published Thursday in the journal Current Biology.
The study, which was led by researchers from UCLA and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Washington DC, increases the overall biodiversity of the Candiae (a group including dogs, wolves, jackals and foxes) from 35 living species to 36. It is also the first identification of a “new” species of canid species in Africa in more than 150 years, according to the authors.
In a statement, the Smithsonian’s Klaus-Peter Koepfli and UCLA’s Robert Wayne said that their study was inspired by recent research which had analyzed the mitochondrial DNA of the African golden jackal and purportedly found that the creatures were actually a subspecies of gray wolf.
Species aren’t even all that closely related, analysis reveals
Since the previous analysis was restricted to mitochondrial DNA, which is passed along via the maternal lineage, Wayne and Koepfli decided to dig deeper. Using DNA samples obtained from golden jackals in Kenya two decades ago, along with additional ones collected from a variety of other locations throughout Africa and Eurasia, they looked at the entire genome.
“To our surprise, the small, golden-like jackal from eastern African was actually a small variety of a new species,” said Wayne, “distinct from the gray wolf, that has a distribution across North and East Africa.” He and Koepfli are calling the new creature the African golden wolf.
So why did experts mistakenly believe that African and Eurasian golden jackals were the same species for so long? Wayne and Koepfli believe it is due to the similarity of their skulls and the morphology of their teeth. However, the genetic data supports the notion that they are separate, unique lineages that have been evolving independently for more than one million years.
Furthermore, the research suggests that, despite appearances, the two species aren’t even all that closely related, as the lineage of the African species is closer to gray wolves and coyotes than to jackals. Koepfli said that the discovery indicates that “even among well-known and widespread species such as golden jackals, there is the potential to discover hidden biodiversity.”
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Feature Image: A golden jackal (Canis aureus) from Israel. Based on genomic results, the researchers suggest this animal, the Eurasian golden jackal, is distinct from Canis anthus, which they propose be referred to as the African golden wolf. (Credit: Eyal Cohen)
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