sub the name fells jackals three moderate-sized, very near relatives under the Hundeartigen, the gold-jackal (Canis aureus), that Schabrackenschakal (Canis mesomelas) and the strip-jackal (Canis adustus). Also, one can the Abyssinian fox into this group or better Abyssinian jackal (Canis simensis) classifies.
Gold-jackal Many people mean the gold-jackal in reality if they speak quintessential of "jackals." And actually deserved this game-dog in different sense our interest. As jackals, we summarize the development-wise most primitive types within the type Canis (= dog). Because to hold jackals relatively easily and less wildly as wolves are, its biology and its behavior were examined the in detail until now.
Exactly the comparative primitiveness of the gold-jackal opposite the more highly developed wolf let however suspected that the jackals show peculiarities and simplifications in the behavior and social-lives opposite its cousin.
It is especially interesting in this context, as the jackals regulate its social-life, because also these game-dogs perform in social groups, mostly family-associations.
Spread The spread-area of the gold-jackals extends from the southeast Europe (Alföld, Dalmatian coast, Greece, Turkey) over Asia Minor to India, Assam, Burma, Malaya and Sri Lanka and in Africa of northern and eastern the Sahara until Kenya.
Habitat and way of life As habitat, the animals prefer the open savanna, more rarely the savanna, but only then, if this becomes not too dense. Completely broadly, gold-jackals avoid dense hedge. they live in small associations, whose kernel one adult pair forms. One such pair remains many years normally, if long together a life not. The young of the last throw as well as frequently further females of the prior throws come together with it. Young males stick with the group for one year and then go own ways.
A such family-association lives in such a big area that its borders pace the adult male dog once within 24 hours and can control. A middle precinct-size of 12-15 km2 should be applicable in most cases. In this residential-area, the pair partially lives in several constructions, that the gold-jackals partially even dig, from other types of animal takes on; also end-ablutions under big trees enjoy high popularity. Within this residential-area, the male dogs react aggressively to each Artgenossen, that they expel mercilessly. Neighboring family-groups avoid if possible.
Merely in areas, where bigger carnivores are missing not to therefore expect loot-remains is, several family-groups join together occasionally and then catch also bigger loot. On this occasion they proceed similarly as also wolves and African game-dogs do it.
Nutrition The palette of the food-acquisition extends from the scavenger to the carnivore, who kills up to 87 percent of its loot itself. Among the bigger loot-animals, the Thomson-Gazellen play a special role. If wolf and jackal still resemble themselves in the type of the loot-acquisition halfway conceivably, so however they differ fundamentally with the eating and - distribution of the rip or cadavers. its distinctive feed-envy, that lets it defend its share of the loot vociferously against each Artgenossen, is one of the most outstanding qualities of the gold-jackal.
Social-behavior However so antisocial, as the first impression lets it appear, the jackals are not at all. Also they, like the wolf, develops a series of behaviors, have that them a regular one co - and guarantees side by side. With the jackals, all these behaviors refer however only to the family-association. Still, the rules of the common life are created mainly from elements of the aggressive things - behavior (impress, and fight). Only, we find also a larger number of not-aggressive behaviors in the areas of the reproductive and Spielverhaltens.
Within the family-group, we find one single ranking (also wolf), that the male dog usually in front-stands, followed from the female and the young. This ranking emerges virtually by itself and doesn't need to be fought by complicated ranking-fights. Comings and again, it can even occur that adult female occupies the alpha-position. So, the entire fight-energy (the aggressive potential) of the jackals, and here particularly this of the male dog, follows outside.
Reproduction The reproductive-time goes down in the north of the spread-area in the months January until March. Already in the so-called Vorranzzeit (the preparation-time at the actual heat-period) from middle of December, the behavior of the partners changes to each other. The male dog now remains continuous with its female and is interested also in no other Schakalin. it defends it against possible attacks of other females and licks and frequently sniffs at anuses and genitals. During the Hochranz, that stops approximately one week, it constantly follows the female.
Finally, the "wedding-dance" occurs and (wolf) shortly after it to the copulation. After the mating, the partners still "hang" caused by a strong swelling of the penis 20-45 minutes, before they can come off of each other.
If the Ranz is past, the male dog occupies at least two residential-caves within the residential-area, that it of now at under continuous control has. In one of these caves, the female brings to the world, of which it comes up normally only 3-4, 3-8 kids after a Tragzeit of 62-64 days. The boys become blind and born in one soft, gray ones until dark brown youth-dress, that it replace against the monochrome, gold-gray old-age-dress after one month. The puppies open the eyes with 10-15 days and get also meat-food additionally, that before-digests easily for them the mother or also the father, to the mother's milk already after 2-3 weeks breaks out. The male dog takes part in the Aufzucht of the boys and at the feed-procurement for the female from the day of the birth on.
its aggression now is at a climax, it attacks each invader recklessly. If the danger for the female and the young becomes too big, it grabs the puppies by the neck-fur and moves into another cave with them. As long as the boys are dependent, it itself never lives in the same cave with the female but seeks a shelter for itself directly in the proximity of the entrance to the manners. If the young are so wide, that they more frequently leave the cave, male dog and Fähe go alternate to the hunt and bring up the feed for the boys and the partner in that they devour it at the place of the catch in big portions and break forth at the cave before the retarded ones.
The puppies still very frequently play together and also with the parents in this time, removes this social game with increasing age however and yields more and more different singles - games (solitaire -). Common interactions (interrelations, common undertakings) more and more frequently now carry the stamp of aggressive behavior without the animals hurting themselves however seriously. Because before faces itself within a family-association of two jackals in the typical threatens and fight-sequences (consequences more definitely more aggressively, impressive or action-emphasized behaviors), one of both left the group mostly. Serious fights within the family are not to be therefore observed far too frequently.
We rather find the confrontations typical for the gold-jackal at the meeting of two full-grown male dogs, whose precincts adjoin. At most between the adult female and one of its older daughters, who didn't come off from the family-association, we can now and then observe aggressive confrontations.
Schabrackenschakal That of Nubien until Schabrackenschakal (Canis mesomelas) spread to the cape-country possesses a slate-gray flank and a just as dark back over the bay reason-coloring of the stomach. This works the animal of put on Schabracke like one. it possesses the biggest ears under the three jackal-types and is high-more legged than the gold-jackal.
Way of life The Schabrackenschakal is a game-dog of the open landscape. Here, it is to be found throughout its spread-area. it lives individually in big residential-areas, through which it constantly wanders, in pairs or in smaller family-associations.
Meet frequently many such small-cluster at more plentiful food-sources. Such possibilities present themselves at a rip of a lion, that this just left. In winch-ropes, the jackals wolf all the Freßbare, what they always can only reach, because soon, also vultures, Marabus and hyenas meet one, that wants to participate in turn at the rests of the lion-meal and expels the jackals. In areas, where the jackals cannot share in meals of bigger carnivores, they themselves hunt all sorts of small animals like birds, Nager and also insects. Even fruits don't spurn it. The Schabrackenschakale make themselves in South Africa not exactly popular on newborn Karakullämmer through its encroachments and are pursued by the farmers inexorably. Like the gold-jackal, also the Schabrackenschakal is a very voice-joyful game-dog, who has command of a series of social voice-contact-tones as well as some quite varied aggressive-lute.
In its behavior, its social-structure and its reproductive-biology, the Schabrackenschakal essentially doesn't differ from the gold-jackal.
Strip-jackal That from Ethiopia until strip-jackal (Canis adustus) spread to the northern South Africa differs in the longer legs from the Schabrackenschakal, that somewhat smaller ears and through the fur-drawing, that shows a slanted, light strip on brownish-gray reason-coloring at the flanks. However this strip precipitates very differently with the individual individuals and can even be missing.
Way of life The strip-jackal loves more the forest and bush-areas and populates the habitats, that are left out by the Schabrackenschakal, with it. The strip-jackal lives much more shyly in the whole one and nightly than the two other types, so that we know much less about its way of life. Also, it is significantly less voice-joyful. it lives in the most important thing from small animals, carrion and insects and to much higher extent of vegetable food, as this its cousin does. Since it never hunts bigger animals, it doesn't become dangerous also for the house-livestock. In its reproductive-biology, it differs in the somewhat longer Tragzeit from all other jackals of approximately 70 days and that in the rule of some more inferior throw-sizes of at most 7 boys.
Continuance Apart from the Abyssinian jackal, that very rarely and is endangered, the three types of the "real" jackals are to be quite still regarded as secured despite partially vehement prosecution through the human being in its continuance.
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