Ethiopian wolf

Behavior and diet

The Ethiopian wolf is a fox-like canine native to Ethiopia. It is also known as the red jackal, red fox, or the simien fox. It has slender long legs with a pointed muzzle, reddish fur that darkens with age, a white underside and a black tail tip. Their adaptation includes a narrow, pointed muzzle that enables them to fit into rat holes. They also have small widely spaced teeth allowing them to firmly grip wriggly animals.

Packs of the Ethiopian wolf live in grassland and heathland habitats where they can easily find their prey. While they have strong social bonds, they prefer hunting alone and this is reflective of the nature of their prey. Canis simensis are primarily carnivorous, feeding on rodents, hares, grass rats, and mole rats. Even though the Ethiopian wolf hunts alone, they form packs of 6 members. These packs are territorial and often enforce these boundaries through scent and vocalization. The pack structure is hierarchical, defined by dominant and submissive behavioral traits of its members.

Notably, they are largely monogamous; however, females are receptive to male mates outside of the pack. Their mating season is between the months of August and November with the gestation period lasting between 60-62 days. A pack’s dominant female is the only one that breeds, giving birth only once a year with up to 2-6 pups.

Ethiopian wolves are the most endangered canine species in the world, threatened by habitat destruction for human settlement. As a result of this close contact to humans, they can potentially get infected with rabies and canine distemper from domestic dogs. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list, the current population stands at 366 individuals, which is constantly decreasing. The Ethiopian wolf is the primary predator in the ecosystems they inhabit.