Asiatic wolf

Height at the withers 45–75 cm, weight 25–32 kg. The fur is short, thick, brown. It helps them merge with the local landscape. They have almost no undercoat, this helps them keep cool in the hot climate of the Middle East. Apparently, sometimes they howl.

The authors of recent studies on the mitochondrial DNA of the Indian wolf suggest that the populations inhabiting the Indian Peninsula are quite genetically distinct and should be considered as a separate species - Canis indica ^{[1] [2]} /.

It differs from the Arabian wolf in a darker color, larger in size and in proportion to a larger head ^[3] .

The Asian wolf, like the Arabian one , is threatened by hybridization with domestic dogs , which is dangerous for the genetic purity of the subspecies. The main causes of population decline are habitat degradation and hunting. In the countries of the Middle East, the Asiatic wolf is protected only in Israel , where its population is 150-250 individuals.

The wolf, known in Turkey as bozkurt, was the main totem of the ancient Turkic tribes and was a national symbol from the time of the Huns to the Ottoman Empire . Before the Turks converted to Islam , the wolf’s head was put on the ends of flagpoles. Later, she was replaced by a star and a crescent. In Turkish (and generally Turkic) mythology, there is a belief that the hokturks came from a she-wolf named Asen. This legend echoes the myth of Romulus and Remus.

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