Mammals crepuscular

Black-backed Jackal

Lupulella mesomelas

The Black-backed Jackal is the 'silver-tongued' trickster of the African plains, famous for its striking mantle and remarkable family loyalty. A master of adaptation, this clever canid is a rewarding challenge for any backyard explorer or trail cam enthusiast.

13 Sightings

1 Habitats

Quick Identification

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Size

60-90 cm (24-35 in) in length; 30-48 cm (12-19 in) at the shoulder; weighs 6-13.5 kg (13-30 lbs).

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Colors

Distinctive black 'saddle' across the back flecked with silver; reddish-tan flanks and legs; white underbelly; black-tipped tail.

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Key Features

Broad black mantle or saddle streaked with silver hair
Large, upright triangular ears
Slender, fox-like face with a pointed muzzle
Bushy tail always ending in a black tip

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern crepuscular

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Peak hours 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM and 4:30 AM - 7:00 AM

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Season Year-round

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Diet A true generalist omnivore; they eat rodents, hares, insects, reptiles, ground-nesting birds, carrion, and even fallen fruit or berries.

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Habitat Highly versatile; found in open savannas, arid deserts, scrublands, and rural farm fringes, avoiding only the densest forests.

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Behavior

The Black-backed Jackal is a highly intelligent and vocal canid, best known for its haunting, high-pitched yapping howls that often echo across the savanna at dusk. They are one of the few mammalian species that typically mate for life, forming enduring pair bonds. These pairs work together to hunt, defend a territory, and raise their young. You will often see them traveling in pairs or small family units, as older offspring frequently stay behind for a year to help raise the next litter of pups—a behavior known as 'helping at the nest.'

Extremely adaptable and cautious, these jackals are master opportunists. While they are capable hunters, they are also skilled scavengers, often following larger predators like lions or leopards to pick at the remains of a kill. In areas near human habitation, they display remarkable 'street smarts,' learning to navigate around fences and livestock while remaining largely unseen. Their social structure is complex, involving a variety of scent-marking behaviors and vocal signals used to maintain boundaries with neighboring jackal pairs.

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Camera Tips

To capture high-quality footage of a Black-backed Jackal, you need to think about their line of sight. These are relatively short animals, so mounting your camera at 'jackal eye-level'—about 30 to 40 centimeters (12-16 inches) off the ground—is crucial. A camera mounted too high will only capture their backs and miss the facial details that make them so expressive. Since they are naturally wary of human scents and new objects, try to set up your camera several days before you expect results, allowing it to 'weather' and lose its plastic scent. Use natural materials like dry grass or sticks to break up the rectangular silhouette of the camera body.

Jackals are famously inquisitive but cautious. If you want them to stop and look at the camera rather than just trotting past, use a scent lure rather than food. A small amount of commercial canine lure or even a rag soaked in sardine oil placed inside a protective cage or tucked into a crevice in a nearby log can cause a jackal to pause and investigate. Place this lure about 2 to 3 meters (6-10 feet) away from the lens to ensure they remain in the focal sweet spot. Water is also a magnet for them, especially during the dry season; a low-profile bird bath or a natural puddle is the perfect place to aim your sensor.

Because jackals move with a quick, energetic trot, set your camera to a high trigger speed (0.3 seconds or faster if possible) to avoid 'ghosting' or missing the animal entirely. Use 'Burst Mode' to take 3-5 photos in quick succession, followed by a 20-second video. This gives you the best chance of getting a sharp still for identification and a video that captures their fascinating social behaviors, like tail-wagging or scent-marking. Since they are most active during the low-light hours of dawn and dusk, ensure your camera's Infrared (IR) flash is set to 'High' or 'Medium' to illuminate their silver-flecked saddle clearly in black-and-white night shots.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Black-backed Jackal.

Side-striped Jackal

Has a white-tipped tail and a faint white stripe on the flank, lacking the bold black-and-silver saddle.

African Golden Wolf

Lacks the dark saddle and has a more uniform golden-yellow coat with a shorter tail.

Bat-eared Fox

Much smaller with disproportionately massive ears and a darker face mask.

Frequently Asked Questions

Black-backed Jackals are primarily crepuscular, meaning they are most active during the 'golden hours' of dawn and dusk. However, in areas where they feel safe or near human settlements, they often extend their activity deep into the night (nocturnal) to avoid contact with people.

The best way to attract them without causing dependency is providing a reliable water source, like a low ground-level pond. They are also attracted to strong scents; using a scent-based lure (rather than food) can pique their curiosity and keep them in front of your camera longer.

They are opportunistic omnivores with a very broad diet. This includes small mammals like mice and hares, insects such as beetles and crickets, wild fruits, birds, and carrion. Their ability to eat almost anything is why they thrive in so many different environments.

Yes, they are increasingly common on the outskirts of suburban areas and rural towns, particularly in Southern Africa. They are very clever at using green belts, golf courses, and farm borders to move around while staying hidden from residents.

The easiest way is to look at the back and tail. The Black-backed Jackal has a very prominent dark, silver-flecked 'saddle' and a black-tipped tail. The Side-striped Jackal has a much faint side stripe, a smaller set of ears, and a distinctive white-tipped tail.

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