Black-backed Jackal: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Wild Hunters · day 5 of 7

Five facts

1. Big brothers and sisters often stay home to help raise the next litter. While the mother guards the newborns, the father and older pups bring food.
2. In the Namib Desert, jackals sniff out ripe nara melons. Seeds that pass through a jackal sprout better than seeds fresh from the fruit.
3. Usually big hunters push out small ones. Here it is the other way round: black-backed jackals drive the larger side-striped jackal out of grasslands.
4. Its alarm call is an explosive cry followed by quick high yelps. It sounds most frantic when jackals gang up to mob a leopard.
5. A dark saddle with silvery hairs runs down its back. The long black stripe on each side is a little different on every jackal.

The quiz

1. Who brings food to newborn black-backed jackal pups while the mother guards them?

• Neighbouring jackal families
• Nobody, the mother hunts alone
• The father and older siblings (correct)
• Their grandparents only

The father and elder offspring provide food while the mother watches the pups.

2. What happens to nara melon seeds that pass through a jackal?

• They sprout better (correct)
• They can no longer grow
• They turn red
• They float away on the wind

Seeds from jackal droppings germinate better than seeds taken straight from the fruit.

3. Which bigger animal does the black-backed jackal push out of grasslands?

• The lion
• The cheetah
• The spotted hyena
• The side-striped jackal (correct)

It drives the larger side-striped jackal into woodlands, which is unusual among carnivores.

4. When is the black-backed jackal's alarm call most frantic?

• When it rains
• When mobbing a leopard (correct)
• When pups are born
• When it finds water

The alarm sound is especially frantic when jackals mob a leopard.

5. What can help tell one black-backed jackal from another?

• The black stripe along its sides (correct)
• The colour of its eyes
• The number of its toes
• The shape of its teeth

The long black stripe along the flanks can be used to tell individuals apart.

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