Large carnivores: the jackal is expanding across Europe, and may reach Portugal | Biodiversity

golden fox (Canis aureus) has expanded its distribution area in Europe to thousands of kilometers and recently reached the Arctic Circle Arctic (Finland and Norway) and the Iberian Peninsula (Spain). The species It is not present in Portugal, but at some point, this large carnivore is likely to enter the national territory.

“The rapid expansion of the golden jackal in Europe scares us all. If the jackal advances in the Iberian Peninsula, it could invade the south of Portugal, where there is evidence that the species is more suitable,” explains researcher at the Research Center PÚBLICO Francisco Álvares. Biodiversity and Genetic Resources of the University of Porto (Scipio). However, an expert on large carnivores says this scenario “could take decades” to come to fruition and “There is no reason to fear”.

There was an influx of races in Spain Recorded On January 8, 2023 in the Basque Country AlwaFollows an animal running down the highway. It was a male, weighing 13 kg and examined Autopsy indicated the presence of pig hair on the stomach. Genetic analysis confirmed that it was unique to the species Canis aureus.

This is Year, on February 24, an amateur naturalist Recorded Live golden fox images with photo-trapping camera Five kilometers northwest of the city of Zaragoza, near the Ebro River. So far, these are the only two confirmed cases in Spain, according to Spanish researcher PÚBLICO. Juan Carlos Blanco, It is part of the Expert Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).IUCNin English summary) is dedicated Large carnivores In Europe.

“In recent years, jackals are increasingly expanding. There are very well-documented expansion processes, as in Slovenia. It is important to take into account that there is currently no evidence of breeding groups in Spain. However, it is not surprising that others will appear later, and when others emerge, they will be regional and regional in the future. Breeding groups can be created,” says Francisco Alvarez, who is part of the IUCN expert panel.

Conquest of frozen territories

One study Science Recently, published in the journal Biology of MammalsIt precisely documents how this species travels thousands of kilometers towards northern Europe, reaching very cold regions outside its natural distribution area – more precisely Finland and Norway.

Genetic analyzes revealed that a golden fox found in Sodankyla, in the Finnish region of Lapland, traveled about 2,500 kilometers from a population in western Pannonia (roughly parts of Hungary, Austria, and Croatia). The other individual, located in the Norwegian region of Tromsø, may have traveled approximately 1500 kilometers from the Baltic population or 3400 kilometers from the Caucasus.

“Golden jackals arriving in Finland were previously thought to have come from populations that settled in the Baltic region, but this study shows that they can migrate even thousands of kilometers away. Wolves have shown the ability to travel more than a thousand kilometers from their native range,” says Juni Aspi, a professor at the University of Oulu in Finland. Press release.

Golden jackals follow a generalist diet, preferentially eating small mammals and dead animals (they are scavengers), but they may also eat waterfowl, small ungulates, plants, fruits and insects.

This species efficiently utilizes human-made food sources such as urban waste and organic matter dispersed in landfills or landfills. The case of the Sodankylä golden jackal illustrates this behavior well: analysis of the individual’s stomach contents indicated The presence of fish, probably discarded food by local fishermen, as well as the droppings of the Gallinaceous bird.

The authors report that seven sightings of golden foxes were recorded in Finland in August 2024, the most recent of which was in Ivalo, in August 2024. In light of these reports, the golden fox should be classified automatically (and not as a Invasive species) and protected under Nature Conservation Act.

A study of Biology of MammalsAimed at investigating the origins and possible migration routes of three golden foxes located at the border of their usual distribution area, it also involved the collaboration of scientists from Poland, Norway and Spain. Three of the individuals studied by the authors were men and, according to the analyses, consisted of first-generation immigrants. No evidence of hybridization with domestic dogs has been found.

The third person studied was found in Spain, probably originating from the population of western Pannonia (parts of Hungary, Austria and Croatia), which means it may have traveled more than 1600 kilometers. A hypothesis put forward by scientists in the Adriatic region (1,300 kilometers from the Basque Country), although less according to the same source.

A resilient and adaptable species

According to a statement, the new paper reiterates that the remarkable ability of golden jackals “to travel astonishing distances in very different environmental conditions and to establish new collections and populations in extreme climates highlights their remarkable resilience and adaptability”.

This press release points to the climate crisis as one of the factors driving species expansion and highlights the fact. Canis aureus It has demonstrated its ability to survive and tolerate the cold in the packed ice of the Arctic Circle.

Francisco Alvarez, who was not involved in the study, hesitates to make a strong connection between change. Climate and the “extraordinary” expansion of the golden fox.

“More than that Climate changeThis expansion is linked to human activities. The fox is a common animal that consumes human waste. “The characteristics that determine the occurrence of the fox are agricultural areas, the alteration of the landscape by man that includes dead animals,” says the Portuguese researcher, who highlights the importance of cleaning ecosystems (because it recycles organic matter) .

The Expansion tendency The jackal is not a phenomenon exclusive to Europe. “This process is taking place in Iran and Egypt, and it is expanding with great speed towards the Arabian Peninsula. There are already records in the middle of the peninsula, whereas they were only in the Sahel and the Levant. It is a very adaptable species. The jackal surprises us all, they can invade everything, they are very adaptable” , observes Francisco Alvarez.

A golden fox is smaller than a wolf, but larger than a fox. They are nocturnal animals that usually live in small family groups (usually a pair that reproduces together with offspring that year). There are also lonely people, especially when they are scattered in search of a partner. The Scipio researcher notes that jackals position themselves at the edge of packs, never inside territories occupied by wolves.

“So a stable wolf population will help keep the jackal more in check, and less likely to expand. The extraordinary extinction of foxes in the last 30 or 40 years may be related to the extinction of the wolf. Perhaps, the decline of the wolf in Europe in the middle of the 20th century allowed the jackal to hesitate to make this expansion,” the Portuguese researcher thinks. .

Currently, there are countries like Finland that protect golden foxes, and the animals are seen as a game species, i.e. one that can be hunted. classified IUCN Conservation status “No concern”, species Canis aureus For example, it can cause conflicts and economic impacts in pastoralist communities, but these situations can be managed or reduced through good practices, for example, raising awareness of coexistence and compensation mechanisms in case of loss of livestock.

“With the rapid pace of expansion, it will arrive in Portugal in three to seven years, and it should be established within ten to 15 years. This proves that nature is not static, it is dynamic and always in constant evolution. And it should not be seen as bad or undesirable, but as something normal and natural. .It’s only a matter of time before the golden jackal arrives in Portugal, like the brown bear,” predicted defense economist Daniel Verissimo in a speech. magazine Wilder.