Quick shot and dismissal. That was how I treated this jackal in the field when I passed it in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (photo above). Folktales and stories about the trickster, the canny jackal, are common across India. Later, when I looked at the photo again and decided to refresh my memory about jackals by reading the literature, I realized that they are worth more of our time and effort. So much attention is paid to pet dogs in life and media that we forget that the study of wild dogs, genus Canis is one of the most neglected fields in the world today. Was this a Himalayan golden jackal or an Indian golden jackal? Is there a difference? Look at the photos here to see the changes in coat colour from north to south. Both are currently called Canis aureus indicus, but there are too few studies to figure out whether that is their true taxonomic status. Are they really identical? Are they subspecies of a widespread species called Canis aureus? Or is C. aureus a species complex which contains populations waiting for recognition as species?
See this for the standard definition of a species.
Why does it matter? A recent paper on the taxonomy of grey wolves gave me a clear answer, “The concept of a species is important, as legislation, conservation and the non-specialist science community rely on these taxonomic divisions and need species.” In spite of the human need to put a boundary on the slow constant flux of genes, there are always ambiguities. For example, there is even some dispute about the distinction between grey wolves (Canis lupus) and golden jackals (Canis aureus). Although there is strong evidence for the separation of these two species from about 1 million years ago, there is also evidence for more recent gene flow between them, possibly leading to hybrids which are now recognized as a third species. All this seems to be contradictory to our notions of species. Many experts now agree that the notion of a species is complex, and say that it is a “simplified representation of natural variation” and what is needed is to choose “an approach to delineate units for conservation recovery planning that recognizes the dynamic nature of natural systems.”
African wolves (Canis lupaster) have already been split away from Golden jackals (Canis aureus) a decade ago. Tibetan and Indian wolves have long been considered as subspecies of grey wolves (Canis lupus), but this status is currently under dispute. Extensive work on wolves has currently resulted in the recommendation: “The Himalayan/Tibetan and Indian wolf lineages appear to have diverged earlier and are distinct from all other grey wolves (C. lupus) based on mitochondrial and nuclear genome data. However, until genome-wide data from multiple individuals across the range clarify relationships with other taxa, we suggest referring to the Himalayan/Tibetan wolf lineage as Canis lupus chanco. We support the currently accepted nomenclature for the Indian wolf Canis lupus pallipes for the wolf populations found on the Indian subcontinent and possibly also in south-western Asia (exact geographical boundary pending).”
The current uncertain status of family Canidae has resulted in the development of a notion of evolutionary significant unit (ESU). As taxonomists work their slow way towards the delimitations of species, they generate data which can be used by conservationists who try to preserve natural variation captured in ESUs. In this process, the Indian/Himalayan jackal is an ESU. Are there actually two ESUs here, the Himalayan and the plains populations? Further studies are pending.
Don't hold your breath 
