Details
Canis aureus
A medium-sized canid of southeastern Europe, North Africa, western Asia, and South Asia. Its broad diet and habitat tolerance make it highly adaptable.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
Golden jackals use grassland, savanna, farmland, wetlands, forest edges, and settlement margins where cover and feeding areas are close.
They have tawny to gray-brown fur, slim legs, and a body larger than a fox but smaller than a wolf. Coat thickness and color vary seasonally.
Pairs or small family groups communicate with howls. Activity often peaks at dawn, dusk, and night.
They eat small mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, fruit, carrion, and human refuse. Diet changes quickly with local resources.
Breeding pairs rear pups in dens, sometimes with help from older offspring. Family groups defend territories together.
In parts of Europe the species has expanded, drawing attention as a canid able to live in agricultural and urban-edge landscapes.
