Sunday fun Facts
This post is sponsored by SAASA and Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary
Fun Facts about Black Backed Jackals
Black Backed Jackal Latin name: Canis mesomelas
DID YOU KNOW?
Because of their speed, the black backed jackal can snatch a bite or two from under a lion's, hyenas, or leopard's nose.
Black backed jackals living near the borders of human settlement only come out at night.
Blackbacked Jackals are monogamous and mate for life. Males are only slightly bigger and heavier than females, with adult males weighing in at 8kg and their female counterparts at 7kg.
The black backed Jackal has a very distinctive howl. A howl by any individual jackal is answered immediately by their family members before other individuals or groups in the area join in, creating a stereo effect!
They call to one another most commonly in the evening or at night.
Black backed Jackals are omnivorous scavengers that will eat almost anything they can get their jaws around.
They are creative hunters who typically pounce on anything smaller than themselves or work in groups to pursue and subdue larger prey like impala or even wildebeest.
They will also prey on old or sick animals and scavenge on any carcasses available playing the vital role of keeping the number of parasites in the area down and the ecosystem
healthy.
Black backed Jackals are highly vocal. Best known for their high wailing calls often given in the early evening, when one individual answers another until an unearthly chorus builds up they also utter a repeated yapping when tailing a predator; a call that sometimes betrays an irritated lion or leopard.
Fossil deposits have revealed that the black backed jackal is one of the oldest known dog species.
It has remained pretty much unchanged since the Pleistocene epoch, up to 2.5 million years ago.
In the folklore of the indigenous Khoikhoi people of south western Africa, the black backed jackal often travels in tandem with the lion, which it frequently outsmarts or betrays using its superior intelligence.
Come back next week for more exciting fun facts from SAASA and Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary here on Lets Go Big Tunes blog page