Book Fauna Palaestina 4 Year 2014 By Prof Dr Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf von Jaffa ISBN 978-9950-383-77-7

grizzled with varying amounts of black. A dark band runs along
the back from the nose to the tip of the tail. This mane becomes
wider on the back, extending into the lateral surfaces. There are
two dark bands across the lower throat and upper breast. There is
also a reddish phase. The under parts are almost white or
yellowish-brown. The winter coat is longer and grayer. The tail is
relatively short, usually with a black tip. The size of the
Palestinian Jackal is moderate if compared with the larger
Egyptian Jackal (Canis aureus lupaster) and the smaller Arabian
Jackal (Canis aureus hadramauticus).
Head and body 600-900 mm., female smaller than male; ear 70-89
mm.; hind foot 140-162 mm.; tail 200-300 mm; skull length 148-180
mm; weight 5-12 kg.
Habitat:
The Palestine Golden Jackal lives in hills, plains, around orange
groves, in forests and on the outskirts of towns and villages.
Distribution:
Canis aureus palaestina is common throughout the northern half of
Palestine and Israel to just south of Gaza Strip and Beer Al-Saba‘
(Beersheba).
Conclusion:
After comparing the different jackal subspecies, and examining
the two photos, and referring to many zoological references, and
searching the Internet, I came finally to a conclusion that we are
in front of a new subspecies of the Golden Jackal from the Gaza
Strip, Palestine.
I gave it the scientific name Canis aureus palaestina, new
subspecies. The subspecies name “palaestina” is Latin for
“Palestine”.
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