Types of Jackals

The black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) is a canid native to two areas of Africa, separated by roughly 900 km. One region includes the southernmost tip of the continent, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. The other area is along the eastern coastline, including Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia.

The golden jackal is more closely related to the gray wolf, coyote, African golden wolf, and Ethiopian wolf than it is to the African black-backed or side-striped jackals. It is capable of producing fertile hybrids with both the gray wolf and the African golden wolf.

The side-striped jackal (Canis adustus) is a species of jackal, native to east and southern Africa. Unlike its cousin, the smaller black-backed jackal, which dwells in open plains, the side-striped jackal primarily dwells in woodland and scrub areas.