The African wolf (Canis lupaster) is a native canid long misidentified as a golden jackal. Now clearly recognized as a distinct species, it inhabits large parts of North and West Africa, including Morocco, where it has long featured in oral tradition as dib or ouchen, feared by shepherds as a threat to their herds. African Wolf (Canis lupaster), Middle Atlas, Morocco. /Ph. Rabie Atlas ‹ › The wolf, dib in Arabic and ouchen in Tamazight, has long been part of rural folklore in Morocco. For shepherds, it is the unseen danger that threatens flocks and livelihoods, the reason many still rely on the Atlas mountain shepherd dog, the Aïdi, to guard their herds. Yet few have ever laid eyes on this ouchen said to haunt Morocco's Atlas Mountains. These stories refer to Canis lupaster, the African wolf. First identified far from Morocco, in Egypt, this species was described in the early 19th century and has since been trapped in decades of taxonomic confusion. Originally classified in 1832 by German scientist Christian Ehrenberg as Canis lupaster, it was later dismissed and merged with the Eurasian golden jackal (Canis aureus) in the mid-20th century, a classification that dominated scientific thinking for decades. An African Wolf not a Jackal The turning point came in 2011, when genetic analyses of scat samples in Ethiopia revealed that animals long labeled as «golden jackals» were in fact more closely related to gray wolves. Subsequent studies confirmed that true Eurasian golden jackals do not exist in Africa and that the African wolf represents a lineage that diverged more than one million years ago. Far from being confined to Egypt, where it was first described, the species inhabits a vast territory across North, West, and East Africa, including Morocco. In 2015, whole-genome analyses firmly established the African wolf as a distinct species. The final piece of the puzzle came in 2017, when researchers revisited historical museum specimens and resolved the long-standing naming dispute. By examining the original type specimen preserved in Berlin, scientists confirmed that the correct scientific name is Canis lupaster, settling nearly two centuries of debate. Moroccan Wolf captured by camera-trap in the Middle Atlas, Morocco. / Ph. V. Urios Scientists describe the African wolf as a medium-sized canid, larger than African jackals, which partly explains the long confusion, but smaller than gray wolves. Adults typically weigh between 7 and 15 kg and stand around 40 cm tall, with noticeable size variation across regions. Individuals in North and West Africa tend to be larger than those in East Africa. The species has a long snout, long ears, a short tail, and a coat ranging from yellowish to silvery grey, often with reddish limbs and darker markings on the shoulders and tail. While it can resemble the golden jackal, particularly in East Africa, it is distinguished by a more pointed muzzle, stronger teeth, longer ears, and a skull with a higher forehead. The African Wolf in Morocco's Atlas Mountains In Morocco, the African wolf has been identified in the Middle Atlas. Further confirmation came from fieldwork in Bouhachem Forest, a protected area in northern Morocco. While conducting surveys on Barbary macaques, researchers observed a canid locally known as dib. Given the species' elusive nature, scientists collected hair samples from road-killed specimens in 2012 and 2014. Genetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA showed a strong match with African wolves previously documented in neighboring Algeria, providing the first molecular proof of the species' presence in Morocco. More recently, the African wolf has been conclusively documented in the forests of Al Hoceima National Park, thanks to Moroccan wildlife photographer and researcher Tarek Kaikai. After months of tracking footprints and droppings, he captured rare nighttime images of the elusive canid roaming the park in March 2025, confirming its presence in an area where it had long been considered absent. While camera traps had photographed a similar animal near the park in 2015, scientists at the time were unable to formally identify the species. Ecologically, the African wolf plays a crucial role as a top predator. It helps regulate populations of rodents, hares, and wild boars, whose overabundance can damage agricultural land in surrounding villages. It also contributes to biodiversity by dispersing plant seeds, including those of the dwarf palm (doum), an ecologically and economically important species.
