Variegated wolf
Subspecies of carnivore
| Variegated wolf | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Genus: | Canis |
| Species: | C. lupaster |
| Subspecies: | C. l. soudanicus |
| Trinomial name | |
| Canis lupaster soudanicus Thomas, 1903 | |
| Synonyms | |
| doederleini (Hilzheimer, 1906) | |
The variegated wolf (Canis lupaster soudanicus), also known as the Nubian wolf, is a subspecies of the golden wolf native to Sudan and Somalia. It is smaller and more lightly built than the Egyptian wolf, standing 38 cm (15 in) at the shoulder, and 102 cm (40 in) in length. Compared with more the wolf-like Egyptian wolf, the variegated wolf is built more like a greyhound. The ears are somewhat larger than the Egyptian wolf's and the body colour is generally pale stone-buff, with blotches of black.[1] Its main habitat consists of rocky regions, where it feeds on small mammals and birds.[2] The subspecies has been encountered in elevations of up to 5000 feet in the highlands of Abyssinia.[3]
References
- ^ The game animals of Africa (1908) by Richard Lydekker, published by London, R. Ward, limited
- ^ The natural history of dogs : canidae or genus canis of authors ; including also the genera hyaena and proteles (1839) by Charles Hamilton Smith and Sir William Jardine, published by Edinburgh : W.H. Lizars
- ^ A monograph of the canidae by St. George Mivart, F.R.S, published by Alere Flammam. 1890
