Dispersal history of the golden jackal (Canis aureus moreoticus Geoffroy, 1835) in Europe and possible causes of its recent population explosion

• Published in: Biodiversity data journal Vol. 7; pp. e34825 - 22
• Main Authors: Spassov, Nikolai, Acosta-Pankov, Ilya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers 09.05.2019
• Subjects: Bioacoustics; biodiversity; Biogeography; Canidae; Canis aureus; Caucasus region; Cenozoic; Central Europe; coasts; Dalmatian; Dispersal; Eastern Europe; ecological; Ecology & Environmental sciences; Europe; European jackal history; jackals; population growth; Population studies; Single Taxon Treatment; Southern European region; Species; Europe; Caucasus region; Southern European region; ecological requirements; dispersal; South-Eastern Europe; European jackal history
• ISSN: 1314-2836; 1314-2828; 1314-2828
• DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.7.e34825

Data on the historical distribution of the golden jackal in Europe and its primary habitats are scarce. There are many new data on the population explosion and the rapid spread of the in Europe. However, the main factors for this expansion, the core population and its routes of dispersal, remain controversial or insufficiently studied. This study provides a profound analysis of the history of the jackal’s ( Canisaureusmoreoticus Geoffroy, 1835) occurrence in Europe, the factors limiting or those triggering its expansion on the continent. The analysis shows that the timing of the species appearance in Europe still remains unclear. Historical data show that the species is a typical inhabitant of South-Eastern Europe, with some pulsations within its core area, as well as extensions to the north and west of it in favourable periods. Nowadays, the increase of the species range in Europe is the largest documented population explosion on the continent. We argue that this expansion originates from only three core populations, the Peri-Strandja area and the Dalmatian coast in the Balkans and the east parts of Western Transcaucasia in the Caucasus. This population explosion is largely due to a unique combination of factors of an anthropogenic nature.