Ethiopian Wolf

Canis simensis

Status: Endangered. Ethiopian Wolf numbers are very small, and their range has been fragmented, populations of them only existing in seven isolated mountain ranges in Ethiopia. Expanding human populations have further limited their habitat, and resulted in interbreeding with domestic ranging dogs. Livestock overgrazing in shared lands has caused a decrease in the wolves' primary prey animal - mole rats.

The Aberdeen Bestiary was written in the 12th century. It is an illuminated manuscript, commissioned by a rich patron. It is gilded with gold and silver and depicts all manner of creatures painted with expensive pigments. On Ethiopian wolves in particular, it says that they have manes in an array of many colors "so diversely coloured, men say, that no hue is lacking". The wolves can leap so high and far, that it is as if they have wings, and they never attack men. The author goes on to muse that the Latin genus of these creatures, "Canis" (which includes wolves, dogs, coyotes, and jackals) might be traced to "canere" which is the latin word "to sing", and might be attributed to the musical howl that a wolf engages in.

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