Species profile
About the african golden wolf
Long called the golden jackal, this animal was shown by genetic work published in 2015 to be a distinct African wolf rather than a jackal at all. Tanzania sits at the very southern tip of its range, and the Ngorongoro Crater floor together with the adjoining highlands is effectively the only place in the country where it is seen with any regularity.
It is paler, plainer and slightly larger than the black-backed jackal it shares the crater with, without the black saddle. Watching all three Tanzanian canid species in one morning is one of Ngorongoro's quiet specialities.
Life in the wild
Behavior & relationships
Behavior
Active mostly at dawn and dusk but frequently seen through the day on the crater floor. Trots steadily while hunting rodents and following larger predators.
Social life
Monogamous pairs defending a territory, sometimes with helpers from an earlier litter.
What makes it remarkable
Special features
A plain gold-grey coat with no black saddle, and a genetic identity separate from the Eurasian golden jackal it was confused with for two centuries.
