Koepfli and Wayne suspect that zoologists had mistaken African and Eurasian golden jackals for the same species because of a high degree of similarity in their skull and tooth morphology. (sciencedaily.com)
The new study, led by Koepfli and Robert Wayne of the University of California, Los Angeles, was inspired by recent reports suggesting that the African golden jackal was actually a cryptic subspecies of gray wolf. (sciencedaily.com)
Koepfli and Wayne also established collaborations with colleagues, who provided them with samples from golden jackals in other parts of Africa and Eurasia. (sciencedaily.com)