Black-Backed Jackal or Silver-Backed Jackal (Canis mesomelas)[/caption]On a trip to the Addo Elephant National Park (link for more info) we saw the Black-Backed Jackal or Silver-Backed Jackal (Canis mesomelas), moving fairly quickly, using its smelling sense, which can pick up carcasses smell from at least 1 km away, downwind.
They mainly operate in dusk or dawn, this being taken early morning. They occur in southern African, nearly throughout South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia, as well as eastern Africa, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia, where they are known as Silver-Backed Jackals.
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Black-Backed Jackal or Silver-Backed Jackal (Canis mesomelas)[/caption]They are omnivorous, meaning they eat rodents, small mammals, as well as young of larger animals, reptiles, fruit and insects. They have litters of up to 8, with 1-2 surviving to 14 weeks. Leopards and Brown Hyena do take them.
They are unfortunately also a rabies vector. As it is a fairly widespread animal, although persecuted for killing livestock, they are not considered threatened, and listed as least concern.
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Black-Backed Jackal or Silver-Backed Jackal (Canis mesomelas)[/caption]It was nice to see it, and although it must have known we were close, it went about its activities, ignoring us. It is a beautiful nimble animal.
References
- Smithers Mammals of Southern Africa: A field guide (edited by Peter Apps), Struik Publishers, 2000
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-backed_jackal
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