Description: The jackal, a medium-sized carnivore with doglike features and a bushy tail. The back is darker grey than the underside, and the tail is black with a white tip. Indistinct white stripes are present on the flanks, running from elbow to hip. The boldness of the markings varies between individuals, with those of adults being better defined than those of juveniles

Tags: small carnivore | wild dog

The side-striped jackal lives both solitarily and in family groups of up to seven individuals. The family unit is dominated by a breeding pair, which remains monogamous for a number of years. The side-striped jackal is among the few mammal species that mate for life, forming monogamous pairs. Jackals can best be described as opportunistic omnivores. They cooperatively hunt small or young antelopes. They also eat snakes and other reptiles, insects, ground-dwelling birds, fruits, berries and grass. A pair of jackals will move through their territory at a fast trot, stopping frequently to examine something, sniff the air or listen-ready for any opportunity that might provide a meal.

The side-striped jackal tends to be less carnivorous than other jackal species, and is a highly adaptable omnivore whose dietary preferences change in accordance to seasonal and local variation. It tends to forage solitarily, though family groups of up to 12 jackals have been observed to feed together

This animal has long been the subject of superstition about death and evil spirits from the ancient Egyptian depiction of the god of the underworld "Anubis" to just being bad omens. Such beliefs were probably encouraged by the jackal’s cleverness, nocturnal habits, eerie howling and scavenging.