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Black-backed Jackal — printable fact sheet
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Black-backed Jackal
Canis mesomelas
The black-backed jackal sits on one of the oldest surviving branches of the dog family — its lineage split off before the radiation that produced wolves, coyotes and domestic dogs, and it cannot interbreed with them, unlike the promiscuous wolf-coyote-dog group. Its social syste…
Did you know?
- Despite their small size, Black-backed Jackals can defend kills from much larger predators like hyenas and even leopards through teamwork and boldness.
- Black-backed jackals routinely shadow leopards, lions and hyenas, harassing them and snatching scraps, and a pair will confidently mob an animal many times their size. They eat almost anything — antelope calves, rodents, termites, seal placentas, fruit and human refuse — which is the real reason for their resilience. Their high, wavering, drawn-out call is one of the defining night sounds of southern African bush.
What I learned
Draw the black-backed jackal
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