Impurest's Guide to Animals #51 - Ethiopian Wolf

Well between a clean bill of health from the dentist and a job interview, January seems to be paying up big time so far. As we get closer to February we must remember last week’s animal the incredibly toothy Gharial. This week we have a request from @johnjo719 that is a real howl.

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Issue #51 - Ethiopian Wolf

Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Chordata

Class – Mammalia

Order – Carnivoria

Family – Canidae

Genus – Canis

Species – simensis

Related Species -Ethiopian Wolves are one of six members of the genus Canis the others being the Grey Wolf (Canis lupus), Coyote (Canis latrans), Golden Jackal (Canis aureus), Side-Striped Jackal (Canis adustus) and Black-Backed Jackal (Canis mesomealus) (1)

Range

Hungry like the Wolf

The Ethiopian Wolf is a red furred dog with a slender build and narrow skull not unlike that seen in the Coyote. These wolves reach an average length of around a meter, but as in all members of the genus Canis the male is often a good 20% large then the female and animals reaching a meter and a half in length are well documented. The Ethiopian Wolf lives in small groups that work together to defend territory but hunt separately, partially due to the lack of large prey in the Afro-Alpine habitat they are restricted to.

Ethiopian Wolves prey on a wide range of species ranging in size from rats to the only other large animal in the area, the Mountain Nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni), although the animals size restricts how often the wolves prey on them. The majority of prey, around 90%, consist of the giant mole-rat (Tachyoryctes macrocephalus), which is taken from above with the wolves pouncing on the rodent from distance (2). While predation is limited the Ethiopian Wolf competes for food with jackals and feral dogs (Canis lupus familiaris).

Ethiopian Wolf pack structure resembles that of the Grey Wolf, with a dominant pair doing all the breeding supported by younger animals that have not yet left to form their own packs. Packs rarely exceed six animals due to resource scarcity although in areas where prey is more substantial groups numbering twenty have been reported (3). Cubs are born after two months gestation and stay with their parents until they reach sexual maturity at the age of two years.

Questions of Biology - #2 Canine Pack Behaviour

@johnjo719 said;

Have you ever done a wolf before? I'm absolutely fascinated by them and the Way their pack works (well from what I've read and seen in documentaries)

Well first we need to determine which Canines hunt and live in groups. Many are solitary such as the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) or live in mated pairs such as the Manned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus). Of the many species only five form large family groups; The Grey Wolf, Ethiopian Wolf, Bush Dog (Speothos venaticus), Dhole (Cuon alpinus) and African Hunting Dog (Lycaon pictus). For the majority of these species the benefits of living in a group are obvious, many animals working together can run down and kill larger prey then a single wolf. That said each species has a very different pack structure, although the majority revolve around a single dominant pair.

The Grey Wolf is the typical animal that comes to mind when a ‘wolf pack’ is mentioned. The pack is controlled by a breeding pair, also incorrectly called alpha animals. The group usually contains said breeding stock and a number of related animals too young to leave the group and a few animals adopted into the group. All the individuals will defer to the breeder animals, allowing them and their youngest pups access to any caught prey first.

African Hunting Dog society is less rigid and calls into question the term ‘Alpha Wolf’. While the pack will have one breeding females several males may have access to the female, despite being subordinate animals to the oldest male in the group. Movement of animals is fairly fluid in the species, with females leaving the pack of their birth and joining a new group with fairly little fuss.

Of all the pack hunting canines the Dhole has the most relaxed attitude, with no clear dominant animal and free breeding rites to the entire pack. Often the pack will splinter into smaller clans of five to seven animals but will often reunite with their pack mates when the breeding season begins. Territory boundaries are often motile, with the area shrinking during the breeding season to aid in the protection of the new born puppies (4)

Bibliography

1 - www.arkive.org

2 -.http://www.bornfree.org.uk/animals/ethiopian-wolves/facts/

3 - http://www.ethiopianwolf.org/social-organization

4 - http://www.arkive.org/dhole/cuon-alpinus/

Picture References

1 - http://www.savingcatsanddogs.org/wp-content/uploads/ethiopian-wolf-in-water-by-H-Harrington.jpg

2 - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/Amhara_in_Ethiopia.svg/250px-Amhara_in_Ethiopia.svg.png

3 - http://cdn1.arkive.org/media/31/31DB2C87-A533-44D2-9D02-E1298CEBC6BA/Presentation.Large/Ethiopian-wolf-pair.jpg

4 - http://www.ethiopianwolfproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ethiopian_wolf_pups.jpg

And as it disappears back into it’s Afro-Alpine home the Ethiopian Wolf gives us a brief glimpse of the behaviour that it and it’s relatives are famous for. Next week we have a request from @laflux that moves so fast that it goes blind followed by an animal selected by @ironspiderchan45. Until then critic, comment and drop requests as well as checking out past issues in Impurest’s Bestiary.

Many Thanks

Impurest Cheese

@cbishop, @foolsgold, @ostyo,@wildvine,@samimista,@cattlebattle,@xwraith,@cgoodness,@ms-lola, @squares, @darthaznable, @scattered316, @bumpyboo, @knightsofdarkness2, @wolverine08, @dboyrules2011,@joshuadbr, @nighthunder, @johnjo719, @itsomething, @delphic, @dngn4774, @bruxae, @jaken7, @ccraft, @wim_garnet, @johnny_blaze, @claymore1998,@ironspiderchan45 and @kfhrfdu_89_76k

The Big Beautiful Wolf

It is beautiful.

@xwraith: Thanks it's a shame that there are only 500 individuals left in the world.

@impurestcheese: Just as sad as the vaquita.

They are kinda cute

@dccomicsrule2011: Uh thanks. Why the helmets for Rugby...oh wait it's the other game, the one Americans call <snicker> Football

@xwraith: Yeah that level of sadness. That said the Ethiopian Government with the help of many conservation charities has managed to stabilise the wild population and is working on removing the feral dogs that are spreading disease

@cgoodness: Kind of cute. Yep they are, also one of the few large carnivores without a recorded human death to their name

Awesome sauce. :3c

yeah, its a shame it and the hunting dog are so rare these days.

great work as usual

@laflux: It is a shame indeed, thanks for the comment

@dboyrules2011: Das Sauce is awesome indeed

@dccomicsrule2011: Ops sorry thought you were someone else. I meant to say thank you for the comment

@impurestcheese:

Das Sauce is awesome indeed

:3

@dboyrules2011: Thanks

@impurestcheese: I am not getting tagged in these anymore? O__O. Anyways, I think it's cute :3

Good job ^__^

@scorpion2501: Oh shoot sorry, not sure where you went. Thanks for the comment and my most sincere apologies on the absence on the callouts

@impurestcheese: You don't have to be that formal :P. Don't worry about it, everybody makes mistakes ^__^

Make sure it doesn't happen again though, or you'll sleep with the fishes...

@impurestcheese:

Ops sorry thought you were someone else. I meant to say thank you for the comment.

It's alright, and you're welcome. ^-^

Those pups are more than "a little cute." Too adorable.

I never knew the African wolves and jackals were so closely related to our American beauties.

@wim_garnet: Yep they are. In fact the closest genetic relative to the Grey Wolf is the Ethiopian Wolf not the Coyote as many would assume.

@dccomicsrule2011: Cool thanks, do you want to be added to the usual callout

@scorpion2501: I'm British, we're always formal except when we're not

I love the animals permanent smirk.

@cattlebattle: Hmm yes they do seem to be up to something. Then again my dog has the same look on her face 90% of the time so it may just be a canine thing

Cool, it looks like a tall fox!

@bruxae: Yep one of it's many native names is the Horse Fox.

That said the Maned Wolf has it beat on height. It uses it's long legs to run down Seriemas (@laflux's old nemesis) and put them in their place, namely it's stomach

@impurestcheese:

Cool thanks, do you want to be added to the usual callout

Sure. : )

@dccomicsrule2011: Consider it done next week when issue 52 comes out

@impurestcheese said:

@bruxae: Yep one of it's many native names is the Horse Fox.

That said the Maned Wolf has it beat on height. It uses it's long legs to run down Seriemas (@laflux's old nemesis) and put them in their place, namely it's stomach

If its so good at running down those pesky birds, then why does it eat so much fruit :p

@laflux: Oops accidental delete

I don't know, nice side dish? All joking aside it's easier to catch a lobelia fruit then run down a 3ft bird with velociraptor claws

Puppies! :D

What does Ethiopian wolf say?

@wildvine: Howls, Barks and Whines mostly

@ostyo: Sigh yes there are puppies

@ostyo:

What you expect boy? Kittens?

I`ll save them!

(Does no actual work for the cause, but instead complains about extinctions for 70 years, then dies.)

eh, I have a boxer mix, so, my dog just looks mentally challenged 90% of the time :/

@impurestcheese: @wildvine:

@impurestcheese: @wildvine:

@impurestcheese: @wildvine:

Awesome job Impurest! This wolf is definitely majestic looking :0

@cattlebattle: Ah so cute.

@wolverine08: Thanks for the comment. And yes animals like this seem to radiate majesty

@kfhrfdu_89_76k: Yep, the thought counts, but only a little bit

Absolutely beautiful. The ethiopian wolf kinda resembles a fox.

@samimista: It truly is. And yes there is an element of foxiness to it, so much so that it was first classified as a fox, but was later moved to the genus Canis where it was considered as the fourth member of the Jackals. Later still it was discovered that apart from the Golden Jackal which is more like a wolf then a jackal it was most closely related to the Grey Wolf and vice versa

Wolves are beautiful creatures, and this one seems so elegant to me.

Here's a bit of sad news. A province in my country has recently decided to go wolf hunting. There's some noise to stop them, but still.

@ms-lola: Wow is the wolf population that high in whatever province you live in? If so you're doing something better then my country since we have no wolves what so ever. And yes they are beautiful with the almost dainty Ethiopian Wolf, which is slimmer due to it hunting smaller prey, leading the charge.

@impurestcheese: Yes, out west in British Columbia (the Pacific Coast). It's to protect another group of animals, the caribou, so it's complicated and necessary (which you would know), but seeing as they are being culled, it makes a person feel bad.

@ms-lola: I've had to do an extermination survey on invasive American Mink to protect a species called the Water Vole so I know how hard it is. As long as the cull is done responsibly though, the population should only get stronger in quality although I don't understand why some of the wolves are moved to territory where they are absent.

I love this! You should do something on The grey wolf first. Something about the whole pack and alpha dynamic fascinates me.

@johnjo719: Thanks for the comment. Have no plan on doing an issue on the Grey Wolf any time soon but who knows what may turn up in the future