Side-striped Jackal
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[Photo] Side-striped Jackal, Canis adustus. Date 2006. Author Alessio Marrucci

The Side-striped jackal (Canis adustus) is a member of the family Canidae, native to central and Southern Africa.

Description
Side-striped jackal is a greyish brown to tan with a white stripe from the front legs to the hips and has a dark tail that has a white tip. Side-striped jackal can weigh from 14 to 30 lb. Males tend to be larger than the females. They are social within small family groups, communciating via yips, "screams" and a soft owl like hooting call. They are nocturnal, and rarely active during the day.

Habitat and diet
Side-striped jackals live in the damp woodland areas along with grassland, bush and marshes. Side-striped jackals eat fruit, insects, and small mammals such as rats, hares and birds. The will go for the young of animals such as warthogs and young gazelles. They will often follow big cats to scavenge their kills, but have never been observed taking down larger prey on their own.

Reproduction
Breeding season depends on where they live, in Southern African breeding starts in June and ends in November. Side-striped jackals have a gestation period of 57 to 70 days with average litter of 3 to 6 young. They reach sexual maturity at 6 to 8 months old and typically begin to leave when 11 months old. Side-striped jackals are among the few mammal species which mate for life, forming monogamous pairs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Side-striped_Jackal

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