Species group · Mammals
Jackals
WAnimals has 3 species of jackal, all in the family Canidae.
- 3 species
- 1 family
- 86 countries
- 49 parks
- Weight
- 6 kg – 15 kg
- Length
- 45 cm – 95 cm
- Lifespan
- 8 – 12 years
Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 3.
All 3 species of jackals on WAnimals
Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Conservation status
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
See the global conservation statusWhere they live
Recorded in 86 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
Did you know…
It lives in two populations some 900 km apart, in eastern and southern Africa.
From African Jackals
It feeds on small mammals, birds, insects, fruit and carrion.
From African Jackals
Commonly only 1 to 3 of the pups born in a litter survive.
From African Jackals
It is one of the most widely distributed canids of the Old World, found from southern Europe to South-East Asia, and it has recently expanded its range across several parts of central Europe.
From Golden Jackal
The most omnivorous of the jackals: fruit and insects make up much of its diet.
From Side-striped Jackal
It is the most fruit-eating of the African canids: in some seasons more than half its diet is fruit, and it acts as a seed disperser for several savannah trees.
From Side-striped Jackal
Its white tail tip is the feature that tells it apart at a glance from the black-backed jackal, whose tail tip is black, and that detail is the only reliable one at night in a spotlight beam.
From Side-striped Jackal