The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a wolf-like canid native to Southeast Europe, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and regions of Southeast Asia. Compared with the Arabian wolf, which is the smallest of the gray wolves (Canis lupus), the jackal is smaller and possesses shorter legs, a shorter tail, a more elongated torso, a less-prominent forehead, and a narrower and more pointed muzzle. The coat can vary from a pale creamy yellow in summer to a dark tawny beige in winter. The golden jackal has a widespread distribution and high density in areas with plenty of available food and optimum shelter. The ancestor of the golden jackal is believed to be the extinct Arno river dog that lived in Mediterranean Europe 1.9 million years ago. It is more closely related to the gray wolf, coyote, African golden wolf, and Ethiopian wolf than it is to the African black-backed or side-striped jackals. The golden jackal is expanding beyond its native grounds in Southeast Europe into Central Europe, occupying areas where there are few or no wolves.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_jackal
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1560:
The Scottish Parliament approved a Protestant confession of faith to initiate the Scottish Reformation and disestablish Catholicism as the national religion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Reformation
1916:
World War I: Romania signed a secret treaty with the Entente Powers to enter the war in return for territorial considerations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Bucharest_%281916%29
1945:
Animal Farm, George Orwell's satirical allegory of Soviet totalitarianism, was first published. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm
2008:
Michael Phelps won his eighth gold medal of the Beijing Summer Olympics, setting the record for the most golds won by an individual in a single games. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Phelps
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
nosegay: 1. A small bunch of fragrant flowers or herbs tied in a bundle, often presented as a gift; nosegays were originally intended to be put to the nose for the pleasant sensation or to mask unpleasant odours. 2. (figuratively) An aroma, a scent. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nosegay
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
R-E-S-P-E-C-T Find out what it means to me --Aretha Franklin https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aretha_Franklin