The European jackal (Canis aureus moreoticus), also known as the Caucasian jackal[2] or reed wolf[3] is a subspecies of golden jackal native to Southeast Europe, Asia Minor and the Caucasus. It was first described in 1833 by French naturalist Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire during the Morea expedition.[4] In Europe, there are an estimated 70,000 jackals.[5] Though mostly found in scattered populations within Eastern Europe, its range has grown to encompass parts of its former Eastern European range, as well as in Western Europe, which is thought to be attributable to a decline in grey wolf populations.[6][7][8]