The name painted wolf
This animal probably has more common names than any other predator and its name is a matter of much debate. Over the years they have been called all of the following in English, as well as having many other names in other languages.
The scientific name... is Lycaon pictus – which translates as painted wolf.
- Cape hunting dog
- African hunting dog
- hunting dog
- African wild dog
- wild dog
- hyena dog
- painted dog
- painted hunting dog
- painted wolf
- ornate wolf
The scientific name (the name by which it is universally known in the scientific community) is Lycaon pictus – which translates as painted wolf.
There is a growing number of people interested in the conservation of Lycaon pictus that use this translation as the common name, to describe the species. Some argue that this shift may help promote positive attention to a fascinating and very threatened species, which has suffered persecution for so long.
The same shift in usage of a common name happened recently with the Ethiopian wolf - it too has other common names including Abyssinian wolf, Simien fox and Simien jackal, but Ethiopian wolf is now adopted.
