African Game Animals ~ Jackals

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Jackals:

A jackal is any of four small to medium-sized members of the family Canidae, found in Africa and Asia. (The name jackal is borrowed from Persian shoghal.) Jackals fill a similar ecological niche to the Coyote in North America, that of scavengers and lesser predators. Their long legs and curved canine teeth are adapted for hunting small mammals, birds and reptiles.

Blunt feet and fused leg bones give them a long-distance runner's physique, capable of maintaining speeds of 16km/h (10mph) for extended periods of time. They are nocturnal, most active at dawn and dusk.