Black backed jackal
The Black-backed Jackal is endemic to Africa.
However, population control efforts appear largely ineffective and probably only succeed in producing a temporary reduction in local numbers. The species is persecuted for its role as livestock killers and as rabies vectors. Black-backed Jackals are relatively unspecialized canids and well suited for an opportunistic lifestyle in a wide variety of habitats. The Black-backed Jackal is endemic to Africa, found in two separate subpopulations: one in East Africa and one in southern Africa. Other Names English: Black-backed Jackal, Silver-backed Jackal 2004 Status Survey & Conservation Action Plan - Sub-Saharan Africa.2014 IUCN Red List Assessment - Black-backed Jackal.Golden and silver-backed jackal research program (Canis aureus, Canis mesomelas): social organization, behavioural ecology, population genetics and disease.They weigh 2.2 to 14 kg (4.9 to 31 lb).Black-backed jackal - © Chris and Tilde Stuart Projects On average, adults measure 35–50 cm (14–20 in) high at the shoulder and 45 to 90 cm (18 to 35 in) in body length with tails measuring 30 to 63 in (760 to 1,600 mm). They display significant individual, sexual, age and geographical variation in size. Their limb bones, for example, weigh 30% less per unit area of bone than expected for similarly sized dogs. However, relative to dimensions, red foxes are much lighter than similarly sized dogs of the Canis genus. Red foxes are the largest species of the genus Vulpes. The tail, which is longer than half the body length (70% of head and body length), is long, fluffy and reaches the ground when in a standing position. Red foxes have elongated bodies and relatively short limbs. Its range has increased alongside human expansion, having been introduced to Australia, where it is considered harmful to native mammal and bird populations. The red fox ( Vulpes vulpes) is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America and the steppes of Asia. Although the most lightly built of jackals, it is the most aggressive, having been observed to singly kill animals many times its own size, and its intrapack relationships are more quarrelsome. Black-backed jackals are taller and longer than golden jackals, but have smaller heads. Its carnassials are also larger than those of its more omnivorous cousin. Its sagittal crest and zygomatic arches are also heavier in build. The black-backed jackal's skull is similar to that of the side-striped jackal, but is less flat, and has a shorter, broader rostrum. Their skulls are elongated, with pear-shaped braincases and narrow rostra. It is similar to the closely related side-striped jackal and more distantly related to the golden jackal, though its skull and dentition are more robust and the incisors much sharper. The black-backed jackal is a fox-like canid with a slender body, long legs, and large ears. The other area is along the eastern coastline, including Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. One region includes the southern-most tip of the continent, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. The black-backed jackal ( Canis mesomelas), also known as the silver-backed or red jackal, is a species of jackal which inhabits two areas of the African continent separated by roughly 900 km.