Ethiopian wolf
Canis simensis Rüppell, 1840
The ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), also called the Simien fox or Simien jackal, is a mammal in the family Canidae and the order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial carnivore weighing 10 kg, with a body length of 97 cm and a height of 57.5 cm.
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Quick facts about the ethiopian wolf
The ethiopian wolf has a gestation period of 63 days, a litter size of 4 and reaches sexual maturity at 2 years. It is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category.
- Weight
- 10 kg – 13.5 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- 93 cm – 1.01 msrc for Length
- Height
- 53 cm – 62 cmsrc for Height
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- mountainsrc for Habitat
- Gestation
- 62.9 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2.03 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1.1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the ethiopian wolf?
Photos of the ethiopian wolf
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the ethiopian wolf live?
Not recorded
What is the ethiopian wolf?
The Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), also called the red jackal, the Simien jackal or Simien fox, is a canine native to the Ethiopian Highlands, including the Simien Mountains. In southeastern Ethiopia, it is also known as the horse jackal. It is similar to the coyote in size and build, and is distinguished by its long and narrow skull, and its red and white fur. Unlike most large canids, which are widespread, generalist feeders, the Ethiopian wolf is a highly specialised feeder of Afroalpine rodents with very specific habitat requirements. It is one of the world's rarest canids, and Africa's most endangered carnivore.
The species's current range is limited to seven isolated mountain ranges at altitudes of 3,000–4,500 m, with the overall adult population estimated at 360–440 individuals in 2011, more than half of them in the Bale Mountains.
The Ethiopian wolf is listed as endangered by the IUCN, on account of its small numbers and fragmented range. Threats include increasing pressure from expanding human populations, resulting in habitat degradation through overgrazing, and disease transference and interbreeding from free-ranging dogs. Its conservation is headed by Oxford University's Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme, which seeks to protect the wolves through vaccination and community outreach programs.
From the Wikipedia article “Ethiopian wolf” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ethiopian_wolf&oldid=1383533696), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the ethiopian wolf endangered?
The ethiopian wolf is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.
How is the ethiopian wolf classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderCarnivora
- familyCanidae
- genusCanis
- SpeciesCanis simensis Rüppell, 1840
Other names and names in other languages (56)
- Simian jackalEnglish
- Simian jackalEnglish
- Simien foxEnglish
- Simien foxEnglish
- Simien foxEnglish
- Simien jackalEnglish
- Simien jackalEnglish
- Ethiopiese WolfAfrikaans
- Ethiopiese JakkalsAfrikaans
- Ethiopiese RooiwolfAfrikaans
- ዋልጌAmharic
- ቀይ ቀበሮAmharic
- ذئب حبشيArabic
- ثعلب سيمينArabic
- ذئب إثيوبياArabic
- ابن آوى القرديArabic
- ابن آوى سيمينArabic
- vlček etiopskýCzech
- Abessinsk rævDanish
- AethiopienfuchsGerman
- Abessinischer FuchsGerman
- Afrikanischer WolfGerman
- Äthiopischer SchakalGerman
- Äthiopischer WolfGerman
- Λύκος της ΑιθιοπίαςGreek
- Etiopa lupoEsperanto
- Lobo EtiopeSpanish
- Lobo etíopeSpanish
- Etioopia huntEstonian
- EtiopiansusiFinnish
- etiopiansakaaliFinnish
- Loup d'AbyssinieFrench
- Loup d’AbyssinieFrench
- זאב חבשיHebrew
- etióp farkasHungarian
- CaberùItalian
- Lupo del SimienItalian
- Volpe RossaItalian
- アビシニアジャッカルJapanese
- 에티오피아늑대Korean
- EtiopiaulvNorwegian Bokmål
- Etiopisk UlvNorwegian Bokmål
- Ethiopische WolfDutch
- Jeedala fardaaOromo
- Kaberu EtiopskiPolish
- Lobo-etíopePortuguese
- Эфиопский шакалRussian
- ඉතියෝපියානු වෘකයාSinhala
- etiopisk vargSwedish
- abessinsk schakalSwedish
- simienschakalSwedish
- หมาป่าเอธิโอเปียThai
- Habeş kurduTurkish
- Вовк ефіопськийUkrainian
- Ефіопський вовкUkrainian
- 衣索比亞狼Chinese
Relatives of the ethiopian wolf
Other species in the same genus Canis.
Wolf
Canis lupus
Coyote
Canis latrans
Golden jackal
Canis aureus
Dog
Canis familiaris
Thoa
Canis lupaster
CompareEthiopian wolf vs WolfEthiopian wolf vs CoyoteEthiopian wolf vs Golden jackalEthiopian wolf vs Canis etruscus
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
Is the ethiopian wolf endangered?
Yes. The ethiopian wolf is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.
How big is the ethiopian wolf?
The ethiopian wolf has a body length of 97 cm, ranging from 93 cm to 1.01 m, and a height of 57.5 cm, ranging from 53 cm to 62 cm.
How much does an ethiopian wolf weigh?
An adult Ethiopian wolf weighs 10 kg, with weights up to 13.52 kg reported.
What does the ethiopian wolf eat?
The ethiopian wolf is a carnivore.
What kind of animal is the ethiopian wolf?
The ethiopian wolf is a mammal in the family Canidae, order Carnivora. It is also called the Simien fox, Simien jackal or Simian jackal.
How many young does an ethiopian wolf have?
The ethiopian wolf has 4 young per litter and 1.1 litters per year, after a gestation period of 63 days.
Who named the ethiopian wolf?
The ethiopian wolf, Canis simensis, was named by Rüppell in 1840.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/ethiopian-wolf
“Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/ethiopian-wolf.
@misc{ethiopian_wolf_2026,
title = {Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/ethiopian-wolf},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}