So just what is a golden jackal? It is often called the common jackal, Asiatic jackal, or the reed wolf — and now it’s an entirely new species related to the wolf, as we reported recently.

The “golden jackal” may sound like a rare creature for those in the United States or anywhere outside the regions of Europe, Asia, and Africa where it resides, but it’s actually quite a common species — and until recently, was considered the same species as other jackals that had the same appearance, until new research indicated it was a completely separate species.

The golden jackal is native to north and northeastern Africa, as well as in central Europe, Asia Minor,a nd the Middle East and all the way down into southeast Asia.

It is considered a pretty well-off species, classified as “Least Concern” according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It has a widespread range with plenty of food and shelter.

Golden jackals thrive because they are so adaptable: they can eat all sorts of different foods, ranging from hard-to-take-down meat like ungulates — albeit on the smaller side — and fruit and insects.

But the golden jackal has been found to be a closer relative to the grey wolf rather than to other jackals, as had long been assumed. Most scientists thought that because of their similarities in appearance and other factors, that they were more closely related to the jackal family, but new research has indicated otherwise.

Golden jackals have even been portrayed in ancient folklore and literature across the regions where it calls home. It is often depicted as a trickster like its cousins, the fox and the coyote. It is most closely related to the grey wolf, coyote, and the Ethiopian wolf rather than black-backed and side-striped jackals.

The earliest relatives to the canid family, of which the golden jackal is a descendant, can be traced back up to 56 million years ago to the Eocene Miacids.