African jackal
![african jackal african jackal](https://www.sa-venues.com/wildlife/graphics/jackal/6b.jpg)
Genital licking follows along with a few mounts for the next few days, but no full copulation which only follows after this and is repeated daily and frequently. Other ritualistic behavior also happens in at this stage. Next, they show very distinct signs of sexual behavior where females lift their tails to reveal a part of their genitals, and males typically rub against them or wag their tails. When courtship begins, there are three stages through which they go, starting with scent marking the area. When the time of the year comes when a pair must or are instinctively ordered to reproduce, they often discourage current pups or young from following them by scolding them or even biting them when they do so. They are nonetheless very aggressive animals, and an estimated 38% of their interactions with one another are thought to be of a defensive or aggressive nature. They also howl like golden jackals and most wolf species. They produce a variety of calls through which they convey messages to one another. Lion trails are often followed by the fresh trails of black-backed jackals who pursue them in an attempt to make ends meet by scavenging, something its fellow jackal species are not as profoundly good at. Older young or offspring of previous seasons play an essential role in the caring and survival of new litters and stay on the same territory until they can find or compete for their permanent piece of land.īlack-backed jackals are one of the three main species of jackal found in Africa, usually patrolling the landscape in an attempt to scavenge on a kill or find small enough prey to hunt themselves. They are also territorial creatures with average territory sizes encompassing an average of close to 2.5 square kilometers. When this happened, the other would not find a mate.
![african jackal african jackal](https://www.prints-online.com/t/164/african-black-backed-jackal-4447075.jpg)
Pairs observed for many years in the Serengeti stayed together for more than two years with the longest being eight years and where thought to be divided only by the death of one of them. When there is prey to be caught, they do, however, take the opportunity, and are also regular scavengers alongside vultures and hyenas.īlack-backed jackals are another species that mates for life, or is referred to as a monogamous animal. Oddly enough, they are not only carnivorous but also sometimes forage for food such as insects, and are thus not as dependent on the supply of catchable prey like wild dogs, scavenging spotted hyenas or cheetahs are. They are, however, most common within acacia woodland areas or grasslands with some of these same trees scattered which provides some shade from the scorching sun.
![african jackal african jackal](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/BG203A/black-backed-jackal-silver-backed-jackal-canis-mesomelas-kgalagadi-BG203A.jpg)
Over most of the range of land they occupy, they can be found alongside another species of jackal, whether it be the side-striped or golden jackal. Population densities vary drastically but are at relative constant 2 to 3 individuals per square kilometer within the areas of South Africa where they occur. They are very widespread across several countries, which protects them from diseases or over-hunting in many aspects. They are classified as 'of least concern' and carry no current threat, nor are there specific populations within South Africa that are endangered. Statusīlack-backed jackals have shown substantial consistency in their population over the past decades, something that other carnivores like wild dogs would very much envy. They are regular victims of the rifles of livestock farmers because they prey on their livestock, most often sheep and chickens. They are, however, very adaptive to human-developed stretches of land and occur close to many rural towns surrounded by farms. Another sub-species of black-backed jackal occurs in parts of Eastern Africa near Ethiopia and Kenya. They are absent from the barren coastline and mainland parts of the Namib Desert mainly due to the insufficient supply of prey. In Southern Africa, they range from southern Angola, throughout Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique as well as most of Namibia and the whole of South Africa. They are generally smaller than they appear in photographs, and weigh only 6 to13 kg, the same approximate size as most species of dwarf antelope. They are a ginger color below the middle, and a mixture of black and grey above this onto their tails and backs, giving rise to the name "black-backed jackal". They are leanly built and quite hard to spot in the wilderness as they swiftly move through the terrain into areas of thicker vegetation, with their long, bushy tails bouncing behind them. Black-backed jackals are closely related, both genetically and physically, to side-striped jackals.