Advertisement-colouration in a carnivore: the kekebero (Canis simensis), part 1

By Antoni V Milewski and Anthony J Mills · Originally published 23 July 2021

About this edition. This is Antoni Milewski’s post, republished with his permission. Only the photographs he chose are used. Those on iNaturalist under a Creative Commons licence are shown; the rest are hosted externally and are given as links. No images have been substituted. Read the original on iNaturalist.

Photographs on iNaturalistAssembled by the author in the comment thread beneath his post on jackals

Both partsPart 1·Part 2

A stalker that also signals

The kekebero (Canis simensis) is a stalking carnivore, which eats mainly rodents.

The speciesTaxon page·Video 1·Video 2

This species approaches its prey stealthily by day, on high-altitude meadows in Ethiopia.

Therefore, the inconspicuousness of its overall colouration is unsurprising.

However, where the kekebero differs from most other Canidae, instead resembling certain antelopes and deer, is in its pedal and caudal flaggs. These make this species particularly photogenic.

Canis simensis, Bale, Oromia, Ethiopia, by fl66 — *The caudal flagg — ‘caudal’ means ‘of the tail’ — consists of a dark distal tail and pale sides to the root of the tail. The thing to look for here is the pattern on the rump.*
Frédéric LEVIEZBale, Oromia, Ethiopia · 26 Oct 2007CC BY-NCobs. 124088221

Canis simensis, Bale, Oromia, Ethiopia, by markuslilje — *The pedal flagg consists of a pale pelage on the inner surface of the lower foreleg, in contrast with the other surfaces of the limbs.*
markus liljeBale, Oromia, Ethiopia · 1 Dec 2009CC BY-NC-NDobs. 6629732

The pattern in front, and the pattern behind

The pattern on the face, throat and chest disrupts the approaching figure, making the predator inconspicuous to the prey it faces during stalking.

CitediStock 1·iStock 2·iStock 3

However, the pattern on the hindquarters is bolder.

Canis simensis, Bale, ET-OR, ET, by jimsteamer — *The caudal flagg consists of a conspicuously white base to the tail and a conspicuously dark distal half.*
jimsteamerBale, ET-OR, ET · 27 Sep 2017CC BY-NCobs. 8730906

Also citedFlickr·Africa Image Library

This pattern is not striking enough to reveal the stationary figure. However, it becomes eye-catching when the animal moves. I would therefore call this a caudal flagg.

MovementVideo

Canis simensis, Oromia, Ethiopia, by veronika_johansson — *The caudal flagg — the pattern of pale/dark on the tail — makes the animal conspicuous even at a distance.*
Veronika A. JohanssonOromia, Ethiopia · 23 Oct 2012CC BY-NCobs. 12962030

Canis simensis, Bale, Oromia, Ethiopia, by linscott — *Another illustration of the conspicuousness of the pale/dark pattern on the tail, constituting the caudal flagg — a pattern of colouration activated by movement.*
Lin ScottBale, Oromia, Ethiopia · 31 Jul 2023CC BYobs. 253725204

Canis simensis, Oromia, Ethiopia, by ttso — *Another view of the kekebero, showing the conspicuousness of the caudal flagg.*
ttsoOromia, Ethiopia · 3 May 2017CC BY-NCobs. 130086711

The caudal flagg of the kekebero presumably functions for social cohesion in this slightly gregarious species. However, it differs from most caudal flaggs in ungulates in that the tail is not routinely raised or wagged.

Canis simensis, Bale, Oromia, Ethiopia, by avocat — *Another view showing how the pale/dark contrast on the tail makes the whole figure conspicuous once it starts to locomote.*
avocatBale, Oromia, Ethiopia · 6 Dec 2025CC BYobs. 335773033

Canis simensis, Bale, Oromia, Ethiopia, by abate1 — Were it not for the pale/dark contrast on the tail — white on the sides of the proximal part of the tail, dark on the distal half — this figure, trotting away at a distance, would hardly have been worth photographing.
Abate FentawBale, Oromia, Ethiopia · 1 Mar 2026CC BY-NCobs. 343777399

The kekebero is not unique in possessing this particular pattern on the hindquarters. Some individuals of, for example, the side-striped jackal (Lupulella adusta) have a comparable pattern.

CitedWikimedia Commons·Fandom

A pedal flagg on the forelegs

What is unique to the kekebero is a pedal flagg, restricted to the forelegs.

Canis simensis, Bale, Oromia, Ethiopia, by zeledonia — *Trotting past at close range, showing the caudal flagg and, more clearly, the pedal flagg — the conspicuously pale inner surface of the lower foreleg.*
Chris WoodBale, Oromia, Ethiopia · 11 Aug 2018CC BY-NC-NDobs. 15737477

The inner surface of the lower foreleg is anomalously pale, and tends to shine on pasture free of obstructing herbage. This applies particularly in the slanting light of morning and late afternoon.

Canis simensis, Bale, Oromia, Ethiopia, by alex_willow — Александра ИвушкинаBale, Oromia, Ethiopia · 23 Nov 2025CC BY-NCobs. 336796850

Canis simensis, Bale, Oromia, Ethiopia, by janconl — janconlBale, Oromia, Ethiopia · 12 Dec 2015CC BY-NC-SAobs. 41287105

The pedal flagg lacks the dark emphasis seen on the tail. However, it is conspicuous enough to accentuate the movement of walking or trotting.

Canis simensis, Bale, Oromia, Ethiopia, by oleksandr_zinenko — oleksandr_zinenkoBale, Oromia, Ethiopia · 8 Nov 2018CC BY-NCobs. 34596566

The pedal flagg aids social cohesion more secretively than does the caudal flagg. This is because the signal is low on the figure, and on a surface that tends to be shaded when the sun is brightest.

CitediStock 1·iStock 2·iStock 3·iStock 4·age fotostock·Wild Kratts wiki·Animalia

Canis simensis, Bale, Oromia, Ethiopia, by sadu — SaduBale, Oromia, Ethiopia · 22 Apr 2026CC BY-NCobs. 358669513

Also cited on iNaturalistobs. 332298387·obs. 211503438·obs. 334094810·obs. 29483471

The following shows the caudal and pedal flaggs working together on the moving figures.

CitediStock

Addenda from the thread of comments

The following show a different type of caudal flagg, seen in some individuals of the side-striped jackal (Lupulella adusta).

CitedForestry Images·Snapshot Serengeti·Invasive.org

I have explained the origin of the common name ‘kekebero’ in a comment on another post.

CitedCommentary on the Serengeti jackal

One pattern, three functions

Canis aureus shows subtle horizontal banding on the front of the neck and chest, hypothetically functioning as camouflage.

CitedShutterstock 1·Shutterstock 2·Shutterstock 3·Shutterstock 4·Shutterstock 5·123RF·Alamy

Canis simensis shows the same pattern shifted at least partly to a function of self-advertisement.

CitedGetty·Depositphotos·Shutterstock 1·Shutterstock 2·Shutterstock 3

Canis familiaris ‘black-and-tan’ shows the same pattern shifted largely to self-advertisement.

CitedShutterstock 1·Shutterstock 2·Shutterstock 3·Shutterstock 4·Shutterstock 5·Bil-Jac·Dogster

Comparisons among jackals

Self-advertisement, partly by virtue of colouration, in Lupulella mesomelas mesomelas.

CitedBigstock·Adobe Stock·Science Photo Library

The following show the colouration on the hindquarters: a subtle, ambivalent pattern in Lupulella mesomelas mesomelas, and a lack of pattern in Canis anthus bea.

CitedAdobe Stock 1·Adobe Stock 2·Adobe Stock 3·Flickr