| |
Black-backed
Jackal
|
Black-backed
Jackal
(Canis mesomelas)
|
 |
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Canis
Species: C. mesomelas
|
|
Conservation
Status:
Endangered
|
|
|
The Black-backed jackal owes
its name to its tan fur and the
thick stripe of black and silver running down its back. They
weigh anywhere from 15 to 30 pounds and are 15 to 30 centimetres
at the shoulder. Males are usually larger than females. Black-backed
Jackals occur in a wide variety of African habitats, such
as open woodlands, scrubland, savanna, and bush, easily adapting
to different habitats. They are quite common throughout their
range, and have a low risk of endangerment.
Black-backed Jackals usually live together
in pairs that last for life, but often hunt in packs to catch
larger prey such as impala and antelope. They are very territorial;
each pair dominates a permanent territory. They are mainly
nocturnal, but Black-backed Jackals come out in the day occasionally.
Their predators include leopards, wolves, and humans. They
sometimes are killed for livestock predation or for their
furs.
These jackals adapt their diets to the available
food sources in their habitat. They often scavenge, but they
are also successful hunters. Their omnivorous diet includes,
among other things: impala, antelopes, fur seal cubs, gazelle,
guinea fowl, insects, rodents, hares, lizards, snakes, fruits
and berries, domestic animals such as sheep and goats, and
carrion.
Black-backed Jackals have a 2-month
gestation period. Each litter consists of 3-6 pups, each of
which weigh 200-250 grams. At 8 months pups are old enough
to leave their parents and establish territories of their
own.
With excerpts from Wikipedia's
Black-backed Jackal page. Photo by Derek
Keats, displayed under a Creative
Commons Licence.
Back to Masai
Mara Animals
|
|
