Species profile
About the side-striped jackal
Duller and less confident than the black-backed jackal, the side-striped jackal is a woodland and moist-savanna animal. A faint pale stripe edged in dark runs along each flank, and the tail usually ends in a white tip — the quickest way to separate the two species in the field.
It is more omnivorous than its relative, taking a great deal of fruit and insects, and it is more strictly nocturnal, which is why visitors to the southern parks hear it far more often than they see it.
Life in the wild
Behavior & relationships
Behavior
Largely nocturnal and unobtrusive. Forages alone or in pairs, covering long distances along tracks and watercourses.
Social life
Monogamous pairs holding a loose territory, sometimes accompanied by young of the previous year.
What makes it remarkable
Special features
The white-tipped tail and pale flank stripe. Its call is an owl-like hoot rather than the black-backed jackal’s wail.
