Canids and Hyaenids Predation

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The Canids (dogs) of the Singita Kruger National Park Concession Article by Brian Rode
The black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas)

*This image is copyright of its original author

Photo by Brian Rode

The black-backed jackal is one of two species of jackals that can be found in the Singita Lebombo / Sweni area (the other one is the side-striped jackal). The black-backed jackals are the more common of the two that occur in our area.
The black-backed jackal is a small canid (dog) that is fairly similar in appearance to a fox. It has a shoulder height of approximately 38 to 48 cm and weighs up to 13 kg. It has big ears, longish legs and a bushy tail (with a black tip). It is predominantly reddish in colour (hence the name “Rooijakkals” in Afrikaans – meaning red jackal) on the flanks and legs, and has a black / grey, grizzled back often with a black stripe separating the “saddle” from the sides.
Black-backed jackals tend to live in open areas with short grass cover and are highly territorial animals (although they can be seen in greater numbers where there are large carcasses to scavenge from). They form monogamous pairs, although previous youngsters may remain in the area for a while and help raise the next generation of pups.
Black-backed and side-striped jackals are some of the “oldest” dogs known to man and fossils of jackals have been found in East Africa and Southern Africa, showing that they were around at least two-three million years ago and that they have not changed much since then.
Jackals are carnivores and black-backed jackals feed predominantly on invertebrates (such as insects, spiders, scorpions etc.), small vertebrates such as rodents, reptiles and birds, and even small mammals (up to the size of small antelope). A particular pair of black-backed jackals in our concession have been seen attacking and killing full-grown adult impalas. Black-backed jackals are seen as “problem-animals” in many farming areas of South Africa due to the fact that they can and do often kill sheep and cattle calves. Blackbacked jackals will also consume various fruits (although not as often as side-striped jackals). In Namibia.black-backed jackals are seen regularly along the coastline (particularly in the areas surrounding seal colonies), where they scavenge on the carcasses of seals and even hunt sick or injured seals and their pups. Black-backed jackals will also scavenge from carcasses that have been killed by larger predators such as lions and cheetahs. The jackals are much smaller than these large cats and therefore usually only scavenge on the carcasses once the cats have left the area.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Photos by Brian Rode.

The jackals in our area usually give birth to between one and six pups during late spring and early summer, after a gestation period of two months. The pups are often hidden in a den, which usually consists of a hole in the ground. The pups become sexually mature at approximately one year of age and then start to look for a partner and an area to set up a territory.
Black-backed jackals mark and advertise their territories by defecation (they often defecate at obvious sites such as on top of exposed rocks, on top of impala middens or on grass clumps), urination, posturing and calling. Black-backed jackals have a very distinct wailing, high-pitched howl. They also tend to call when they see large predators in the area, which can be a good indication to our guides as to where the big cats may be moving.
Jackals are seen as sly and clever animals and are featured in cultural stories, where they often outwit larger carnivores such as lions.

The side-striped jackal (Canis adustus)
Side-striped jackals are seen less frequently in the concession than their cousins, the black-backed jackals. Side-striped jackals differ from the black-backed jackals by both their coloration and their size. Side-striped jackals are slightly larger, with a shoulder height of between 35 and 50 cm (they tend to have longer legs than the black-backed jackals), and can weigh up to 15 kg. They are generally grey in colour, often with a white stripe along the side of the bodies which is underlined by a black stripe. The end of the tail of the side-striped jackal is often white in colour. They tend to have more of a wolf-like appearance as opposed to the black-backed jackals that look more fox-like.
Even though side-striped jackals are slightly larger than Black-backed jackals they tend to be less aggressive and are therefore often displaced by their smaller cousins.
Side-striped jackals prefer to inhabit areas that have longer grass than those areas preferred by blackbacked jackals, and also inhabit woodland areas.
These jackals also form monogamous pairs. The bitch gives birth to between two and six pups after a gestation period of approximately two months. These pups are also usually hidden in a den-site, which is usually a hole in the ground or in a disused termitaria.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Photo by Brian Rode.

Both species of jackals that occur in the area tend to be nocturnal (active at night), although black-backed jackals are seen being active during the day (particularly on cold or overcast days) more often than sidestriped jackals.
Side-striped jackals (even though they are carnivores) tend to be more omnivorous than their cousins and they often feed on various fruits. The jackalberry tree (Diospyros mespiliformus) was named as such because, supposedly, these jackals love to eat the fruits that fall to the ground beneath the tree. Sidestriped jackals also feed on various smaller vertebrates such as rodents, birds and reptiles and also invertebrates such as insects, spiders and scorpions. Although they may feed on carrion they do not scavenge as much from larger predator kill remains as black-backed jackals do. They also do not generally hunt down larger mammal species and are, therefore not generally seen as a problem animal to farmers.
Side-striped jackals are also highly territorial animals. Side-striped jackals have a very distinctive call which sounds much like a yapping sound, as opposed to the high-pitched wailing howl of the black-backed jackals.
The African wild dog or painted wolf (Lycaon pictus)
African wild dogs are also known as Cape hunting dogs or painted wolves. The scientific name Lycaon pictus comes from the Greek word lykaios, meaning "wolf-like", and the word “pictus” is derived from the Latin word, meaning “painted”, and refers to the blotchy black, tan and white markings all over the body.
They are medium sized predators, with a shoulder height of approximately 60-75 cm and a weight of up to 30 kg. They are similar in size to a small German shepherd dog and have beautiful mottled coats, large round ears (like Mickey Mouse) and a bushy tail that usually has a white tip. They are diurnal animals (active during the day) and have black colouration around the eyes in order to reduce glare when running during brightly lit hours. They are mainly active in the mornings and late afternoons and often rest in the shade during the heat of the day.

African wild dog

*This image is copyright of its original author

Photo by Brian Rode
African wild dogs are said to be the second rarest large carnivores in Africa (the rarest large carnivore in Africa is said to be the Simien wolf, which is found in the highlands of Ethiopia). According to the I.U.C.N (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) it is estimated that there are only 6 600 African wild dogs left in the world (of which only 1 400 are adults). The main reasons for their low numbers are persecution by humans, susceptibility to dog diseases such as rabies and canine distemper, habitat destruction (and corresponding prey number reduction) and being killed by larger predators such as lions and leopards. The biggest populations of these rare creatures occur in northern Botswana and in southern Tanzania. In the Kruger National Park there are said to be only between 350 and 400 African wild dogs. Most of the wild dogs in the Kruger National Park occur in the western half of the park, where the granitic soils allow for large termite heaps, which is often where the dogs make their dens (in old aardvark burrows). We very seldom see African wild dogs on our concession, possibly only two or three times a year.
African wild dogs are extremely interesting animals. They have a strange social system, known as an Alphapair breeding system. In this system only one pair of the pack (the Alpha Pair) mate and the youngsters are raised by the whole pack. In most packs the males greatly outnumber females. Packs generally number between 3 and 27 individuals. In Southern Africa wild dogs usually den during the winter months (June / July). In our area the dogs only breed once a year. The Alpha female gives birth to between four and sixteen pups, after a gestation period of almost two and a half months. Female dogs usually disperse from the pack at the end of the second year, after having witnessed the raising of a litter of pups. When numbers in a pack get extremely high small groups of males may also disperse and thus start new packs.


Painted wolves are said to be the most efficient of the large hunters in Africa. It has been estimated that wild dogs are successful for about 85% of their hunts. In comparison, lions are only successful between 20 and 30% of hunts, leopards are successful between 14 and 38% of hunts and cheetahs are successful on an average of 58% of hunts (statistics quoted from BBC Wildlife Magazine). African Wild dogs prey predominantly on small to medium-sized antelope. In the Kruger Park the main prey species is impala, although wild dogs do, on occasion, kill larger antelope up to the size of female kudus and tsessebe. Cape hunting dogs typically chase down their prey. As a pack they often spread out while running through the bush, effectively “beating the bush”, causing the antelope to flee. The dogs then chase after the running antelope and start biting at the flanks and legs, often disembowelling the antelope, which then goes into a state of shock and is rapidly ripped apart by the dogs. The kill generally happens very quickly and the entire carcass is devoured within minutes of it being killed.
Wild dogs are incredibly social animals and are known to care for even the old and sick members of the pack, bringing food to them or regurgitating meat for them after the hunt.
Wild dogs are not considered to be territorial animals (although when two packs meet up there may be aggression between the two) and have extremely large home-ranges.

Painted wolves do not bark like domestic dogs, but rather have a whooping call. This call is usually heard when individuals of a pack are trying to locate other pack members, particularly when they are separated during hunting activities. Wild dogs also give off a high-pitched chittering sound particularly when greeting each other, just before going out hunting and when feeding. They may also give a short growl when surprised by other predators or humans on foot.
These animals are not considered to be particularly dangerous to humans and there have been very few records (if any) of wild dogs attacking people. Reply