Golden Jackal

About this species

Size

Body 69–85cm; 45–50cm at the shoulder

Weight

6–14kg

Diet

Omnivorous: rodents, birds, reptiles, insects, fruit and carrion

Habitat

Farmland edges, scrub, river valleys, thickets, reedbeds and the Thar Desert, up to the Himalayan foothills

The golden jackal is a wolf-like canid, smaller than a wolf, with shorter legs and tail, a more elongated body and a narrower, more pointed muzzle. Males are 71–85 cm long and weigh 6–14 kg; females are slightly lighter. The coat varies from pale creamy yellow in summer to dark tawny beige in winter. Despite its name it is not closely related to the African black-backed and side-striped jackals, but is closer to wolves and coyotes (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is an opportunist, both a predator and a scavenger, that can live almost anywhere with food and cover. In India it occurs in the Thar Desert and up into Himalayan foothills, entering settlements at night to feed on refuse, and it has settled around hill stations at 2,000 m. Studies in Keoladeo National Park and Kanha found rodents, birds, reptiles and fruit made up most of its diet. Genetic studies suggest the species spread out from India roughly 20,000 years ago (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)