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golden jackal

golden jackal

1 6.0
A medium sized wild dog with golden yellow fur that lives in Europe and Asia
  • noun
  • /ˈɡoʊldən ˈdʒækəl/
translation icon : chacal dorado
  • These North African golden jackals were larger than the golden jackals of Europe, which would have been the second largest subspecies if the Egyptian jackal had been considered a golden jackal.

Examples

  • The Balkans are a much colder place than Egypt, and one would have expected the European golden jackal to be the largest subspecies.

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  • And that is why these wolves have golden jackal mtDNA.

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  • But now, it looks like that name is going to refer to some animals that were previously classified as golden jackals.

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  • The authors conclude that more golden jackals in other countries need to be tested to see if they are actually wolves.

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  • The animals are actually closer to the golden jackal in size, which means that this is the smallest extant subspecies of wolf.

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  • The original mitochondrial DNA studies on these canids found that they were more similar to the golden jackals of Israel than Arabian wolves, which are part of the Holarctic wolf species.

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  • The golden jackal is known for its distinctive golden-yellow coat, which helps it blend into the grasslands.

  • Many tourists visit national parks in India to observe the golden jackal in its natural habitat.

  • The golden jackal hunts in pairs, making it an effective predator in its environment.

Synonyms

Canis aureus
vsgolden jackal
  • Specialized
9.5

A medium-sized wild dog with golden fur that lives in Europe and Asia

is the common everyday name used instead of the Latin label

Surface Forms

golden jackal singular

Morphology

golden + jackal

The meaning 'a jackal with a golden-yellow coat' is directly and compositionally derived from 'golden' (gold-coloured) + 'jackal' (the animal). This simple adjective–noun combination follows a standard, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand the phrase.

Etymology

The name golden jackal comes from its bright fur and the words golden and jackal: golden describes its colour and jackal names a wild, dog-like animal. So the name now means 'a medium-sized jackal with a golden-yellow coat'.