Wild dogs of Africa and Eurasia: the black-backed and side-striped jackals of Africa and the golden jackal of south-central Europe and Asia. They aren’t one natural group; the golden jackal is closer to wolves and coyotes.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?Can be
In one Indian forest district, 220 jackal attacks on people were reported in 1998–2005, none of them fatal.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
Jackals are crepuscular: most active at dawn and dusk.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inAfrica, Asia, Europe
HabitatGrassland, Scrub, Desert, Farmland
ColoursGold, Brown, Black
SizeMedium
Weight8–10 kg (golden jackal)
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives inpairs
Lives for8–15 years
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Central and southern Africa (black-backed and side-striped jackals); south-central Europe and Asia (golden jackal).
- What it eats
- Opportunistic omnivores: small mammals, birds and reptiles, plus a lot of scavenging.
Did you know
Golden jackal pairs stay together until one of them dies.
Jackals can keep up 16 km/h for long periods.
Often confused with
- Coyote
The golden jackal fills much the same niche in Eurasia as the coyote does in North America; the coyote is generally larger.
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