The black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) is also known as the silver-backed jackal and is found in the eastern and southern African regions. For those planning a hunting safari, black-backed jackals are native to and found in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe as well as the eastern coastline of Africa from Ethiopia to Kenya. The black-backed jackal has no major conservation threats to the species.

The black-backed jackal is one of the few monogamous mammals that mate for life and they live singularly or in pairs. Breeding happens annually between June and August with a gestation period of around 60 days after which a litter of between one and six pups are born, between August and October. Both the male and female parents partake in rearing and feeding the young and social units usually consist of the parents and their offspring.

They are mostly nocturnal, very quick, and evasive which makes targeting them on a game hunting safari even more challenging for the hunter.

These jackals are omnivores and feed on a variety of invertebrates including beetles, crickets, termites, grasshoppers, spiders, and scorpions. They feed on numerous mammals, such as rodents, hares, and young antelopes as well as carrion, birds, lizards, and snakes. Black-backed jackals are opportunistic hunters known to hunt in packs to bring down the larger prey. They bite at the ankles and genitals of their prey and even go for their throat. Black-backed jackals can also hunt alone or in mated pairs.

Adult black-backed jackals don’t have many natural predators, apart from leopards and African wild dogs. Their pups, however, are quite defenseless against predators such as the African wolf, honey badgers, the spotted hyena as well as the brown hyena.