These nocturnal dogs tend to spend the day hidden in bush, emerging at dusk to hunt.

Life span
Black-backed jackals live for 12-14 years in captivity.

Statistics
Body length: 65-106cm, Tail length: 30-35cm, Standing height: 45-50cm, Weight: 8-15kg.

Physical description
Black-backed jackals have grey to silver, or reddish-brown fur, with a black saddle.

Distribution
They range from Sudan to South Africa.

Habitat
Black-backed jackals inhabit savannahs, bush and light forests.

Diet
They have a very broad diet, including small animals, fruit, berries and carrion.

Behaviour
Black-backed jackals live together in pairs, but often hunt in family troops.

Reproduction
They have a gestation period of nine weeks, after which they give birth to 3-6 pups. They weigh 200-250g at birth.

Conservation status
Black-backed jackals are prevalent and not threatened. Their enemies are humans, wolves and leopards.