Infrared camera has captured video footage of wild golden jackals in the shrubland area of Zhaosu County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, marking an extension of the species' known distribution range within China.
Previously, golden jackals were confirmed only in the southern part of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China.
The footage was obtained by a research team from the Xinjiang Academy of Forestry Sciences, which deployed infrared cameras in the shrubland last September to monitor local wildlife.
The images provide clear views of golden jackals, whose physical traits distinguish them from other medium to large canids found in Xinjiang, such as wolves and dholes.
The golden jackal is larger than a red fox yet slightly smaller than a wolf. It features a narrower and longer muzzle, a lower tail-to-body length ratio, and long, pointed ears that set it apart from the dhole, which has semicircular ears.
Following the announcement of the discovery, the wildlife protection department in Zhaosu County has stepped up monitoring and patrols around the golden jackals' activity areas to safeguard their habitat and foraging environment.
Wild golden jackals caught on camera in Xinjiang
China's summer movie season is gaining momentum as a diverse lineup of domestic and imported films draws moviegoers across the country, with the total box office revenue surpassing 10.1 billion yuan (some 1.49 billion U.S. dollars) as of Monday morning.
Domestic productions have taken the lead, with sports comedy film "Kung Fu Soccer," animated fantasy-comedy "All Wishes Come True" and anti-war film "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East" ranking among the top-grossing titles.
Their strong performance reflects growing audience demand for quality domestic films, while imported releases such as "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" and "The Odyssey" are adding further variety to the market.
This year's summer lineup covers a broad range of genres, including comedy, animation, sci-fi, war, suspense and action, offering audiences more choices and helping attract viewers from different age groups and with different interests.
"Since the beginning of August, a variety of domestic and international blockbusters have been released, and he moviegoer traffic has nearly doubled compared with July. The sales of film-related merchandise, themed derivative items, and even popcorn as a film-watching snack, have also increased significantly," said Bai Hang, a duty manager at a cinema in eastern Beijing's Chaoyang District.
According to film data platform Lighthouse as of Sunday, the summer box office had risen 3.2 percent year on year, while the number of moviegoer visits reached 274 million, up 5.7 percent from the previous year's corresponding period.
Chen Tao, vice dean of the School of Liberal Arts at the Renmin University of China, said that high-quality domestic productions have played a particularly important role this summer, with strong word of mouth helping turn quality content into audience demand.
This year's summer movie season runs through August 31.
China's summer box office gains momentum with diverse films
