Jackal

Behavior and diet

The jackal is part of the dog family and its North American counterpart is called the coyote. Four species of jackal are acknowledged: black-backed jackal, side-striped jackal, golden jackal and Ethiopian wolf jackal. The jackal is a carnivore that tends to prefer a scavenger-type diet. It is not unusual for a single jackal to spot a lion kill and to alert other members of its pack of the recent kill. Jackals are nocturnal animals and, in the absence of other animals’ kills, will hunt smaller animals such as reptiles and birds. Jackals are monogamous and females will give birth to an average of three to six young after a gestation period of two months.