Akaokami (red wolf)

It is a mammalian animal of the order Carnivora and family Canidae. It is also called the dhole or the Siberian mountain dog. It is found from the Amur region of the Russian Federation, the Korean peninsula, and the Altai Mountains in the north to India, Sumatra, and Java in the south. Its body length is 80-113 cm, its shoulder height is 40-50 cm, and its weight is 10-20 kg. It resembles a wolf, but is more closely related to the African wild dog, with a thick and long tail, rounded ear tips, one pair of missing molars on the lower jaw, and sharp carnassial teeth (the fourth premolar on the upper side and the first molar on the lower side). Its fur is reddish brown, and those from the south have black tails. They live in herds of 6-8, sometimes as many as 20, in mountain forests, feeding mainly on deer, wild goats, and sheep, and sometimes attacking gaurs, bears, and tigers. The breeding season is irregular, the gestation period is about 63 days, and they give birth to 4-6 pups per litter, sometimes as many as 11. The lifespan of a captive wolf has been recorded as 15 years. Recently, the North American red wolf Canis rufus is sometimes called "akao-okami", a direct translation of the English name red wolf, but it is a completely different animal.

[Yoshinori Imaizumi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

哺乳(ほにゅう)綱食肉目イヌ科の動物。ドール、シベリアヤマイヌともいう。北はロシア連邦のアムール地方、朝鮮半島、アルタイ山脈から、南はインド、スマトラ島、ジャワ島まで分布する。体長80～113センチメートル、肩高40～50センチメートル、体重10～20キログラム。オオカミに似るがむしろリカオンに近縁で、尾が太く長く、耳の先が丸く、下あごの後臼歯(きゅうし)が1対少なく、裂肉歯（上の第4前臼歯と下の第1後臼歯）が鋭い。体毛は赤褐色で、南方産のものでは尾が黒色である。山地の森林に6～8頭、ときに20頭ほどの群れですみ、シカ類、野生のヤギ、ヒツジ類を主食とし、ガウア、クマ、トラをも襲うことがある。繁殖期は不定、妊娠期間は63日前後で、1腹4～6子、ときに11子ほどを産む。寿命は飼育下で15年の記録がある。近ごろ、北アメリカのアメリカアカオオカミCanis rufusの英名red wolfを直訳してアカオオカミとよぶことがあるが、まったく別のものである。

［今泉吉典］

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