Throughout much of the 20th century, the animal was classed as a subspecies of golden jackal, Canis aureus lupaster.

The fur is darker than the golden jackal's, and has a broader white patch on the chest.

Field observations in Senegal's Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary indicate that it is a solitary animal that lives on the periphery of Senegalese wolf territories, and dominates the latter species in disputes over carcasses.

[3] The Egyptian wolf inhabits a number of different habitats; in Algeria it lives in Mediterranean, coastal and hilly areas (including hedged farmlands, scrublands, pinewoods and oak forests), while populations in Senegal inhabit tropical, semi-arid climate zones including Sahelian savannahs.

[3] The animal head of the Egyptian god Anubis may have been based on the African wolf, rather than the golden jackal as was formerly believed.