Editing Golden jackal (section)

===Subspecies and populations===
The golden jackal was [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomi]]cally subordinated to the genus ''[[Canis]]'' by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in his 1758 publication ''[[Systema Naturae]]''.<ref name=linnaeus1758>{{cite book |last=Linnæus|first=C. |title=Systema naturæ |year=1758 |publisher=Laurentius Salvius |location=Holmiæ  |pages=39–40 |chapter=''Canis aureus'' |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/carolilinnisys00linn/page/40/mode/2up |volume=Regnum Animale |edition=10 |language=la}}</ref> 13 [[subspecies]] were described since then.<ref name=wozencraft2005/>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Subspecies of ''Canis aureus''
|-
! scope="col" | Subspecies
! scope="col" | Trinomial authority
!Trinomial authority (year)
! scope="col" | Description
! scope="col" | Distribution
! scope="col" | Synonyms
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! scope="row" | Persian jackal
''C. a. aureus''<ref name="castello132">Castelló, J. R. (2018). ''Canids of the World'', Princeton, pp. 132–133, {{ISBN|978-0-691-17685-7}}</ref><br />[[Nominate subspecies]]
[[File:La vita degli animali descrizione generale del regno animale di A. E. Brehm Mammiferi (1872) Canis aureus aureus mod.jpg|150px]]
|[[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]]
|1758<ref name=linnaeus1758/>
| Large, with soft, pale fur with predominantly sandy tones.<ref name=heptner140/> The general color of the outer fur is usually black and white, while the underfur varies from pale brown to pale slate-grey. Occasionally, the nape and shoulders are of a buff color. The ears and front legs are buff, sometimes tan, while the feet are pale. The hind legs are more deeply tinted above the hocks. The chin and forethroat are usually whitish. Weight varies geographically, ranging around {{convert|8|-|10|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. In areas where it borders the range of the larger, more richly colored [[Indian jackal]] (particularly the area of [[Kumaon division|Kumaun]] in [[India]]), animals of intermediate size and color sometimes appear.<ref name=pocock1941c/>
|[[Middle East]], [[Iran]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Pakistan]] and [[Western India]] where its distribution overlaps with the Indian jackal to the north and the Sri Lankan/South Indian jackal to the south.<ref name=pocock1941c/>
|
<small>''hadramauticus''&nbsp;(Noack,&nbsp;1896)</small><br />
<small>''kola''&nbsp;(Wroughton,&nbsp;1916)</small><br />
<small>''lanka''&nbsp;(Wroughton,&nbsp;1916)</small><br />
<small>''typicus''&nbsp;(Kolenati,&nbsp;1858)</small><br />
<small>''vulgaris''&nbsp;(Wagner,&nbsp;1841)</small>
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! scope="row" | Indochinese jackal
''C. a. cruesemanni''<ref name="castello142">Castelló, J. R. (2018), ''Canids of the World'', Princeton, pp. 142-143, {{ISBN|978-0-691-17685-7}}</ref>
[[File:Golden Jackal, Canis aureus in Huai Kha Khaeng.jpg|150px]]
|[[Paul Matschie|Matschie]]
|1900<ref name=matschie1900/>
|The Indochinese jackal (also known as the Siamese jackal and the Southeast Asian golden jackal)<ref name="castello142"/> has been disputed as a separate subspecies by some authors who state that its classification is based solely on observations of captive animals. In 2023, an mDNA study indicated that it was an early branching lineage of golden jackal which supports it being a subspecies.<ref name=Sosale2023>{{cite journal|title=The complete mitochondrial genome and phylogenetic characterization of two putative subspecies of golden jackal (Canis aureus cruesemanni and Canis aureus moreotica)|journal=Gene|doi=10.1016/j.gene.2023.147303|date=2023|author=Sosale M. S.|volume=866 |page=147303 |pmid=36854348 |s2cid=257224067 |doi-access=free}}</ref> It is smaller than ''C. a. indicus'',<ref name=lekagul1988/> weighing up to {{convert|8|kg|abbr=on}}. Its fur closely resembles that of a [[dog]]. It inhabits mountainous areas, near [[farm]]s or residential [[forest]]s, and its prey include small animals like [[bird]]s, [[reptile]]s and [[frog]]s, besides occasionally eating fruits.<ref name=Castello2018/> One seller of two trapped jackals claimed that they killed ten piglets on his farm.<ref name=pp1>{{cite web|url=http://www.vncreatures.net/e_focus/e_news_13.php|title=Scottish Maria and the Golden Jackal|author=Phung My Trung|access-date=2020-04-07|archive-date=2020-04-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407145857/http://www.vncreatures.net/e_focus/e_news_13.php|url-status=live}}</ref> It can be active in both [[diurnality|day]] and [[nocturnality|night]]. Siamese jackals are solitary creatures, but a male and female will cooperate during mating season. It has few natural predators, though [[dhole]]s are a major source of mortality.<ref name=Castello2018/>
|[[Thailand]]<ref name=moehlman2018/>
|
|-
! scope="row" | [[Indian jackal]]
''C. a. indicus''<ref name="castello138">Castelló, J. R. (2018). ''Canids of the World'', Princeton, pp. 138–139, {{ISBN|978-0-691-17685-7}}</ref>
[[File:La vita degli animali descrizione generale del regno animale di A. E. Brehm Mammiferi (1872) Canis aureus indicus mod.jpg|150px]]
|[[Brian Houghton Hodgson|Hodgson]]
|1833<ref name=hodgson1833/>
|Its fur is a mixture of black and white, with buff on the shoulders, ears and legs. The buff color is more pronounced in specimens from high altitudes. Black hairs predominate on the middle of the back and tail. The belly, chest and the sides of the legs are creamy white, while the face and lower flanks are grizzled with gray fur. Adults grow to a length of {{convert|100|cm|abbr=on}}, {{convert|35|–|45|cm|abbr=on}} in height and {{convert|8|–|11|kg|abbr=on}} in weight.<ref name=shrestha1997/>
|[[India]], [[Nepal]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Bhutan]]<ref name=heptner140/>
|
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! scope="row" | [[European jackal]]
''C. a. moreoticus''<ref name="castello134">Castelló, J. R. (2018). ''Canids of the World'', Princeton, pp. 134–135, {{ISBN|978-0-691-17685-7}}</ref>
[[File:La vita degli animali descrizione generale del regno animale di A. E. Brehm Mammiferi (1872) Canis aureus moreoticus.jpg|150px]]
|[[Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire|I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire]]
|1835<ref name=geoffroy1835/>
|The largest golden jackal subspecies, animals of both sexes average {{convert|120|–|125|cm|abbr=on}} in total length and {{convert|10|–|15|kg|abbr=on}} in body weight.<ref name=lapini2003/><ref name=giannatos2004/> The fur is coarse, and is generally brightly colored with blackish tones on the back. The thighs, upper legs, ears and forehead are bright-reddish chestnut.<ref name=heptner140/>
|Southeastern Europe, [[Moldova]], Asia Minor and the Caucasus<ref name=heptner140/>
|
<small>''graecus'' (Wagner, 1841)</small>
<small>''balcanicus''&nbsp;(Brusina,&nbsp;1892)</small><br />
<small>''caucasica''&nbsp;(Kolenati,&nbsp;1858)</small><br />
<small>''dalmatinus''&nbsp;(Wagner,&nbsp;1841)</small>
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! scope="row" | [[Sri Lankan jackal]]
''C. a. naria''<ref name="castello140">Castelló, J. R. (2018). ''Canids of the World'', Princeton, pp. 140–141, {{ISBN|978-0-691-17685-7}}</ref>
[[File:La vita degli animali descrizione generale del regno animale di A. E. Brehm Mammiferi (1872) Canis aureus naria mod.jpg|150px]]
|[[R. C. Wroughton|Wroughton]]
|1916<ref name=wroughton1916/>
|Measures {{convert|67|-|74|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length and weighs {{convert|5|-|8.6|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. The winter coat is shorter, smoother and not as shaggy as that of ''indicus''. The coat is also darker on the back, being black and speckled with white. The underside is more pigmented on the chin, hind throat, chest and forebelly, while the limbs are rusty ochreous or a rich tan. Molting occurs earlier in the season than with ''indicus'', and the pelt generally does not lighten in color.<ref name=pocock1941/>
|[[Coastal South West India]], [[Sri Lanka]]<ref name=heptner140/>
|<small>''lanka'' (Wroughton, 1838)</small>
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
! scope="row" | Syrian jackal
''C. a. syriacus''<ref name="castello136">Castelló, J. R. (2018). ''Canids of the World'', Princeton, pp. 136–137, {{ISBN|978-0-691-17685-7}}</ref>
[[File:La vita degli animali descrizione generale del regno animale di A. E. Brehm Mammiferi (1872) Canis aureus syriacus mod.jpg|150px]]
|[[Wilhelm Hemprich|Hemprich]] and [[Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg|Ehrenberg]]
|1833<ref name=hemprich1833/>
|Distinguished by its brown ears. The body fur is a yellow on the back, lighter on the sides, and whitish-yellow underneath.<ref name=smith1839/> A dark band runs from the nose to the end of the tail. Measures {{convert|60|-|90|cm|in|abbr=on}} in body length, {{convert|20|-|30|cm|in|abbr=on}} in tail length, {{convert|15|-|18|cm|in|abbr=on}} in head length, and weighs {{convert|5|-|12|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name=qumsiyeh1996/>
|[[Israel]], [[Syria]],<ref name=heptner140/> [[Lebanon]],<ref name=qumsiyeh1996/> and [[Jordan]]<ref name=moehlman2018/>
|
|}