Wildlifeof India
Golden Jackal
Bears, Dogs, Otters & Red Panda
Photo: Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová · CC BY 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Canis aureus
Basic stats
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
Size
Body 69–85cm; 45–50cm at the shoulder
Weight
6–14kg
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).
Quick answers
- What does the Golden Jackal eat?
- Omnivorous: rodents, birds, reptiles, insects, fruit and carrion
- What habitat does the Golden Jackal live in?
- Farmland edges, scrub, river valleys, thickets, reedbeds and the Thar Desert, up to the Himalayan foothills
- How big is the Golden Jackal?
- Body 69–85cm; 45–50cm at the shoulder
- How much does the Golden Jackal weigh?
- 6–14kg