General: A medium sized canine with relatively long legs. This is the most common and widely distrbuted jackal of Southern Africa.
Left: A perfect specimen. Etosha NP, Namutoni area, SWA (Namibia).
Right: Now what have we here?
Face, ears, main body and outside of legs is a light reddish brown colour. Underside of muzzle, throat patch and inner surface of legs is white. The white area at the muzzle encircles the black nose for about three quarters of the way, while the top of the face is a light brown. The ears are rather pointed, with in inner fringe of white hair. Long muzzle and pointed ears give it a face very similar to that of the Coyote and European Red Fox.
There is a distinct, dark 'saddle', with well defined black bar encircling the the upper part of the chest, just behind the shoulders. There is a lighter area just behind the black bar and a dark brown to black 'saddle' composed of dark brown to predominantly black hair, mixed with white, giving a striped, or sometimes spotted appearance. Lower fringe of this saddle is black, and the saddle narrows from covering almost the upper half of the back to a point above the hind quarters. The lower two thirds of the bushy tail is dark brown, ranging to black. An alltogether handsome animal.
Range: Africa south of the Sahara, wherever there is sufficient food. Often comes right into human habitation, raiding the refuse bins and even catching the smaller domestic pets.
Habitat: Highly adaptable. Prefers open savannah, but will live almost anywhere, from ocean fringe, via thick bush to desert.
Left: Investigating Wildebeest remnants. Addo NP.
Right: Naah, not worth it!
Food: Feeds on anything from carrion, insects, reptiles, small rodents, small game, such as hares, spring hares, dassies, etc, up to young antelope. Also guineafowl, bustards and other game birds, eggs, fruit, you name it, its all grist to the jackal's mill. Unfortunately, they also prey on small livestock and have been known to take sheep.
They will drink water regularly, but can go without it for extended periods.
Habits: Hunt singly or in small family groups (mother and cubs), occasionally in pairs. They are sly and very cunning, moving usually at a qick trot, but will stalk a mouse or other small prey with consummate caution and stealth. Both diurnal and nocturnal, and are most active at night, and during early morning and late evening. During the heat of the day, they seek shelter in antbear holes, under scrub or a fallen tree.
Sounds: A drawn-out yammering 'Nyaaeeee-ya,ya.ya', particularly at sunset - one of the evocative sounds of Africa. Also a short, barking 'ha-ha-ha'. Will follow lions or hyaena silently, until a kill has been made. Then there will be a chorus of drawn-out howls from the attending jackal: 'Eeeeeyoweeee', calling their tribe together.
Endnotes:{endnote}For more photographs, please go to the Gallery section.{/endnote}
{endnote} Most pictures in our articles can be enlarged by simply clicking on the picture.{/endnote}
{endnote} Images are © Copyright Game and Gun (G Grohmann and H Grohmann).{/endnote}
{endnote} Images may not be used in any format without the written consent of Game and Gun.{/endnote}
