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>
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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>
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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>
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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>