Jackal

Jackal, common name of certain wild dogs that inhabit plains, deserts, and prairies. The golden (or common) jackal is frequently found from northern Africa to south-eastern Europe and India. It is tawnier and smaller than a wolf, weighing 7 to 15 kg (15 to 33 lb) and measuring up to 50 cm (20 in) in height. The jackal’s coat is typically grizzled tawny-buff in colour; the tip of the bushy tail is dark.

The black-backed jackal ranges from Senegal to Somalia, south to Namibia and eastern South Africa. It has a ginger coat with a characteristic wide, black stripe or saddle that runs from its neck to its tail, as can be seen in the photograph that accompanies this article. It weighs 6 to 12 kg (13 to 26 lb) and is about 40 cm (16 in) high to the shoulder.

The side-striped jackal ranges from Sudan to South Africa, usually in woodland. It has a grey to buff coat and a sometimes indistinct whitish stripe running from its elbow to hip, and usually a white tip at the end of the dark tail. It is slightly bigger than the black-backed jackal, standing at a shoulder height of 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) and weighing 7 to 14 kg (15 to 31 lb).

The critically endangered Simien jackal, or Ethiopian wolf, is found in a few mountain ranges in central Ethiopia. Its size, narrow head, and pointed muzzle are fox-like, but its other physical characteristics are similar to those of wolves. It has a bright tawny-red coat with white markings at the throat, neck, and underparts, and it weighs 13 to 19 kg (29 to 42 lb). It has been calculated that there are fewer than 1,000 (and probably only 400) Simien jackals left, making it one of the rarest carnivores in Africa. Outbreaks of rabies in 1991 and 2003 reduced numbers, and so in 2003 a rabies vaccination programme was introduced, concentrating on the areas where the Simien jackal was most likely to be in contact with domestic dogs.

The jackal feeds on rodents, eggs, fish, frogs, insects, leaves, small antelopes, carrion, small poultry, and occasionally fruit; it hunts in small groups, pairs, or alone, uttering its cry, called the pheal. The jackal is nocturnal in areas inhabited by humans, but may be active during the day in areas where it is not molested. The jackal's lifespan is 10 to 16 years in captivity. Jackals interbreed with domestic dogs.

Scientific classification: Jackals belong to the family Canidae. The golden jackal is classified as Canis aureus, the black-backed jackal as Canis mesomelas, the side-striped jackal as Canis adustus, and the Simien jackal as Canis simensis.