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| Jackals Temporal range: 23 mya–present | |
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| Golden Jackal | |
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Jackals are canid species found in Africa, Asia and Europe. They are carnivorous of small and medium-sized prey. To hunt, they can run at speeds of 16 km/h (10 mph). This is not fast, but they have great endurance, so can run for a long time.
They often chase prey as a pair or a group, usually not as individuals. Jackals are "opportunistic omnivores", which will take on larger animals if they need to. They are predators of small to medium-sized animals and scavengers.
Jackals are monogamous (each male lives with only one female). A pair defends its territory from other pairs: they mark the territory with urine and feces. The territory may be large enough to hold some young adults who live with their parents until they have their own territory. Sometimes, jackals join small packs, for example to hunt a big animal, but normally they hunt alone or as a pair.
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