GOLDEN JACKAL
DESCRIPTION: A medium-sized canid, the Golden
Jackal’s scraggy, buff-grey coat is not as smooth as the fox’s, nor as dense as
that of the wolf. The buff coat is interspersed with black hair especially on
the back as if it has donned a grizzled coat while the head and sides of the
legs are tawny red in colour. The underside, throat and the area around the
eyes and lips are white. Pelage colour can vary seasonally from pale cream to
tawny. The tail is bushy and medium-sized and has a black tip like that of the
wolf and the Indian Fox. In comparison though, the jackal is one and a half
times the size of the Indian Fox and only little more than half the size of the
wolf. The jackal also has a shorter muzzle and overall smaller head than that
of a wolf, with shorter legs, giving it a more compact look than the lean,
long-limbed look of a wolf. Male jackals are nearly 15 per cent larger than females.
Female have four pair of mammae. The four subspecies are not well studied in India.
The Common Jackal, in the north–west, C.a. aureus is thought to be larger and
paler with more sandy admixtures in its pelage. The Indian Jackal, C.a.
indicus, in northern India is equally large but has more buff on the body and
the grey is pronounced across the saddle, with black hairs predominating the
tail and the back. The southern Indian subspecies, C.a. naria, is smaller, with
a shorter coat. The back is almost black, speckled with white, and the limbs
are more rusty in colour. The north–eastern subspecies is smaller but not much
is known about its description.
BEHAVIOUR: A successful hunter, especially
of rodents, the jackal has an undeserved reputation as a scavenger. Its eerie howls
are characteristic of the Indian countryside and jungle.
DISTRIBUTION: Found throughout India except
the high Himalayas.
HABITAT: Forests, grasslands, mangrove, urban and semi-urban areas. Tolerates human presence more readily than the wolf and is thus often seen around human settlements.
Size: 76–84 cm
IUCN Status: LeastConcern
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