Canis mesomelas mesomelas

(Schreber, 1775)

Vernacular names
English : Black-backed jackal
French : Chacal à chabraque

Classification
Class : Mammalia
Order : Carnivora
Family : Canidae
Notes : 1 other subspecies known. Sometimes placed in genus Lupulella but there seems to be no official consensus in online sources at this time.

Identification
Up to 90 cm body length, weight up to 12 kg. Small head with large ears, slender-built body. This subspecies is rufous-brown with white throat and belly, grizzled forehead and black-grizzled back, upper flanks and tail.

Range and habitat
This subspecies from south Mozambique and Angola to South Africa. The species is also found from Ethiopia to Tanzania. Lives in arid and semi-arid areas, from grasslands and farmland to deserts.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not listed
Status : The species seems to be very common and widespread, particularly in the south. Persecuted by farmers as a killer of livestock.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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