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Camera traps reveal coat colour variation in an isolated population of golden jackals


Affiliations
1 Molecular Biodiversity Lab, Department of Zoology and Wildlife Biology, Government Arts College, Udhagamandalam 643 002, India
2 Care Earth Trust, Chennai 600 001, India
 

Long-term monitoring of golden jackals along the coastline of the southern Western Ghats, India, provi­ded interesting results. We observed various coat colour patterns such as leucism, melanism, semi-melanism and rusty coats among jackals resembling dogs. The melanistic variation and rust colour expression may be due to the acquired genetic properties during cross­breeding with the free-ranging dogs, as the associated mutations have been previously documented in dogs and not in jackals. Genetic studies can assist us in under­standing the causes and consequences of coat colour variation.

Keywords

Coat colour variation, golden jackal, hybridization, isolated populations.
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  • Camera traps reveal coat colour variation in an isolated population of golden jackals

Abstract Views: 402  |  PDF Views: 129

Authors

Thekke Thumbath Shameer
Molecular Biodiversity Lab, Department of Zoology and Wildlife Biology, Government Arts College, Udhagamandalam 643 002, India
Pudupet Madhavan Bhavana
Molecular Biodiversity Lab, Department of Zoology and Wildlife Biology, Government Arts College, Udhagamandalam 643 002, India
Govindarajan Mohan
Molecular Biodiversity Lab, Department of Zoology and Wildlife Biology, Government Arts College, Udhagamandalam 643 002, India
Pulikunnel Syed Easa
Care Earth Trust, Chennai 600 001, India
Raveendranathanpillai Sanil
Molecular Biodiversity Lab, Department of Zoology and Wildlife Biology, Government Arts College, Udhagamandalam 643 002, India

Abstract


Long-term monitoring of golden jackals along the coastline of the southern Western Ghats, India, provi­ded interesting results. We observed various coat colour patterns such as leucism, melanism, semi-melanism and rusty coats among jackals resembling dogs. The melanistic variation and rust colour expression may be due to the acquired genetic properties during cross­breeding with the free-ranging dogs, as the associated mutations have been previously documented in dogs and not in jackals. Genetic studies can assist us in under­standing the causes and consequences of coat colour variation.

Keywords


Coat colour variation, golden jackal, hybridization, isolated populations.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv122%2Fi6%2F738-741