Silver-backed jackal
The Black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas) is a medium-sized canine native to eastern and southern Africa. These regions are separated by roughly 900 kilometers. Compared to other members of the genus Canis, the Black-backed jackal is a very ancient species and has changed little since the Pleistocene, being the most basal wolf-like canine, alongside the closely related Side-striped jackal.
The Black-backed jackal is a fox-like canid with a slender body, long legs, and large ears. The base color is reddish brown to tan, which is particularly pronounced on the flanks and legs. A black saddle intermixed with silvery hair extends from the shoulders to the base of the tail. A long, black stripe extending along the flanks separates the saddle from the rest of the body and can be used to differentiate individuals. The tail is bushy and tipped with black. The lips, throat, chest, and inner surface of the limbs are white. The winter coat is a much deeper reddish brown. Albino specimens occasionally occur.
Black-backed jackals can be found in diverse habitats, living in coastal areas, deserts, and mountains. They prefer dry areas, avoiding wetlands and swamps. The area of their distribution includes 2 regions of Africa. These are the eastern part of the continent, reaching certain regions of Malawi and Somalia, and the southern part of Africa, including southern Angola.
Black-backed jackals are very resourceful and extremely adaptable animals. They are not aggressive towards larger animals and avoid humans. They are both diurnal and nocturnal, though near urban areas they are usually nocturnal. They spend a lot of time looking for food. Black-backed jackals are social animals, living in pairs and family groups. They are territorial animals, fiercely and aggressively defending their home range. Usually, unpaired adults, who are looking for mates, have larger home ranges than paired adults. Black-backed jackals communicate, using scent marking and vocalization. They communicate with each other by means of growling, woofing, howling, and yelping sounds.
Black-backed jackals are omnivores. Their diet includes carrion, domestic livestock, rodents, gazelle, hares, young ungulates, lizards, birds, insects as well as fruit and berries. In addition, jackals living in the southern part of Africa can also eat cubs of fur seals.
Black-backed jackals are monogamous, living together until one of the mates dies. Mating once in a lifetime, they are very selective about their choice. A pair of Black-backed jackals is a strong social unit: they closely cooperate, building shelter and finding food together. The mating period is May-August with the gestation period, lasting 60-65 days. The female gives birth to 3-6 pups, usually in an abandoned burrow of aardvark. Over the following 3 weeks, the female is constantly with its pups, protecting them, while the male provides them with food. When the pups are 1 month old, the parents start feeding them by regurgitating food. At the age of 3 months, the youngster is weaned and after another 3-5 months it leaves to find its own territory. Reproductive maturity is reached at the age of 11 months.
Human is the major threat to this species’ population. These animals are considered to be vermin because of preying on sheep and young goats. Therefore people persecute them and catch them in snares to protect their livestock. On the other hand, road accidents lead to the sharp decline of the Black-backed jackals’ population.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Black-backed jackal total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
The Black-backed jackal plays a vital role in the ecosystem of its habitat. In some regions, where larger predators have been eliminated, the jackals have become dominant predators of the area. They choose prey according to their own size, catching sick or weak antelopes and thus maintaining the health of the ecosystem. In addition, the jackals scavenge, when there are carcasses.
