Small and secretive, the Black-backed and Side-striped Jackals often slip under the radar within the expansive wilderness of Londolozi. Light on their feet and quick to disappear, some days you are just able to get a glimpse while other times you might catch their distinctive wailing call. These unassuming canids emerge as modest and seldom-seen figures in the predator hierarchy, yet they bring a sense of intrigue and a crucial role to the ecosystem. In the hopes that you might spend more than a fleeting moment with either, I thought I would share a bit more about them.
A cunning black-backed jackal remained unnoticed and gazed down at the lion scat before consuming it, whilst the culprit of the crime lay belly-up roughly 5 metres behind.
Origins and Evolutionary Insights
The name ‘jackal’ finds its roots in the Persian language, where ‘shagāl’ refers to a small carnivorous mammal. Over time, this term evolved into the English word ‘jackal’, encompassing several species of canids, including the elusive side-striped and black-backed jackals. The third is the golden jackal which inhabits parts of Europe and South East Asia.
A side-striped jackal soaking up the morning light. In Ancient Egyptian mythology, the god Anubis, often depicted with the head of a jackal, played a significant role as the guardian of the afterlife, guiding souls through the journey of death.
Evolutionarily, jackals belong to the Canidae family, which also includes wolves, foxes, and domestic dogs. Fossil evidence suggests that the ancestors of jackals diverged from other canids around 5 million years ago. Their evolution has been marked by adaptations to diverse environments, turning them into the mysterious and resourceful creatures we encounter today in Londolozi’s wilderness.
Jackals are generally still scarce at Londolozi due to the high density of lions and leopards as well as the severe drought we had a few years back. However, they have made a return and you might even get a chance to see them with their pups, as Ranger James Souchon saw this young side-striped jackal with his guests.
Understanding the Differences
Physical Characteristics
- Black-backed jackal: Also referred to as the silver-backed jackal, the sleek black coat gives its distinctive appearance. Weighing between 6–12kg (13–26lb) and standing at 38–48cm (15–19in) at the shoulder, they are known for their slender build, agility and speed.
A black-backed Jackal with its distinctive dark saddle in bold contrast to its tan coat and with a black-tipped tail.
- Side-striped jackal: More varied in colouration from reddish-brown to pale grey but true to its name, a distinguishing light-coloured stripe runs along its flanks. The dark tail is also almost always tipped with white, while they are slightly larger than their black-backed cousins weighing in at 7-13kg (13.5–29lbs) and standing at 35-50cm (14-20in).
Side-striped jackals tend to be more drab-coloured with a white-tipped tail along with its more or less distinct side stripe.
Habitat and Distribution
- Black-backed jackal: Thrive in a variety of habitats but are often found in grasslands, savannas, and arid regions. Their adaptability to different environments results in a high level of versatility in their distribution from Southern Africa and parts of East Africa.
- Side-striped jackal: Generally prefers more densely vegetated areas, such as woodland and bushveld while this choice of habitat is influenced by the availability of cover for hunting and denning. Their adaptability to these environments also results in a wider distribution of the black-backed jackal.
The dry winter allows us to see some more of the smaller and illusive animals such as the Side Striped Jackal.
Dietary Preferences
- Black-backed jackal: While they are skilled scavengers and adept hunters, they are opportunistic omnivores that follow the path of least resistance to gain their living. Beetles, scorpions, millipedes, rodents, hares, concealed young calves, carrion, snakes, various fruits and berries will all feature on the menu for black-backed jackals.
- Side-Striped Jackal: Also following suit with their omnivore diet, side-striped jackals tend to be less predatory than black-backed jackals depending on the availability of prey. This adaptable diet allows them to thrive in different ecosystems.
A Side-striped jackal feeding on the fruit of a Jackalberry tree. We know that the tree gets its name for this exact reason, but it is not a common sight to see this actually happening.
Jackals have not always been prevalent here at Londolozi, particularly during droughts in the past. However, their adaptability and resilience have enabled them to bounce back and continue their crucial role in the balance of the ecosystem by cleaning up carcasses and assisting in keeping the rodent and small invertebrate population in check. While they may appear very similar at first glance, their unique features and presence adds to the depth and diversity of species we are fortunate to see here at Londolozi.
We were able to see one when we visited in 2018, but unfortunately she was bald with mange. I hope the remaining population is healthier.
Kelsey, thank you for sharing your insights on jackals. I think that jackals and cheetahs are animals on the fringes of the carnivores of Londolozi. They are very opportunistic and adept at survival.
Thanks, Kelsey, for this interesting blog on jackals. I love them though I don’t think I have seen many at Londolozi so far. They are really cute animals always busily doing something.
One is fortunate to see a jackal whilst on safari as this species does tend to be more elusive, perhaps because as you stated, their numbers were diminished during the severe drought. I would also imagine that as much as jackals are opportunistic, if they come upon the remains of a kill and hyenas/vultures are around, they will wait on the outskirts to see if they might get lucky. Thanks for the detailed information about them – always appreciated.
Hi Robyn, I like jackals, they are graceful and smart animals. Where I live there are their cousins, the golden jackals, their numbers have been growing in the last decades. I like the way foxes (my favourite canids) and jackals outsmart greater predators from time to time. Hopefully you will see more of these pretty, intelligent canids in the future, it’s great they are back! Also for their favourite tree
Such beautiful jackals both of them. I have only seen two jackals here on our reserve and cannot tell you which one of the two I saw. Each time it was at night so I could not distinguish between the two different jackals. We also often hear them howling. Their tails and coats are beautiful just like the wolves. I love wolves and my one German Shepard dog used to howl like the wolves do. I had to put her down as she hurt her back and was in to much pain.
Thanks for this super interesting profile of the jackals Kelsey! Like all excellent Londolozi posts, this one has caused me to do a deep dive on this very cool and seemingly elusive creature!
I learned a lot from this blog.