Environmental Biology 12-13: Ecology X

The golden jackal of northern Africa and south-central Eurasia shares much of its lineage with the modern day wolf, dog and coyote. The black-backed and side-striped jackals of sub-Saharan Africa are actually more related to each other than they are to wolves and other canine species. Both however are opportunistic carnivores that will eat most anything they can scavenge up, just like the American jackal: the coyote.

Jackals are small canine creatures resembling a cross between a dog and a wolf, in size. Their fur patterns allow them to best camouflage to their individual surroundings, most of which consist heavily of sand. Both jackal species have a light brown base coat with either dark-brown/black or golden tones depending on whether they live in southern or northern Africa. Side-striped and black-backed jackals live primarily in forested areas below the Saharan Desert. The golden jackal lives in Asia as well as Africa, with its coat allowing it to blend in better with sandy areas and the plains.

Jackals, like other canines, live in packs. They are crepuscular, meaning they are most active in the twilight hours. This time frame is heavily used by few, making it the perfect time for the scavenging jackal to work its business. Jackals scavenge food together to feed themselves and their young. Jackals have several litters per year consisting usually of a few pups. After a year or so the pups are large enough to live on their own, they either set off to form their own pack; they seldom stay with their parents.

The jackal are animals that many fear, as they do not understand them. Even here in America, most of us are scared of the coyote, because we know little about it, we never go near them. But in reality they are not as dangerous as we think, they are primarily scavengers and as long as their is enough food lying around they will not attack live prey. They are not very dangerous, we just don't understand them.