English: Golden Jackal or Common Jackal; French: Chacal commun; Albanian: Çakalli; Arabic: Wauwi; Bambara: Kongowulu; Banda-Linda: Njakoa; Bulgarian: Tschakal; Croatian: çagalj; Gbaya: gbòngbè; Greek: Tsakali; Hebrew: Tan; Hungarian: Sakál; Iranian: Shoghal; Kikuyu: Mbwe, Muthige; Kisuaheli: Bweha; Maasai: Embaric; Montenigrin: ‚cakal; Pashto: Yeedar; Romanian: Sakal; Russian: Schakal; Serb: Sakal; Slovenian: Sakal; Tuareg: abaggi; Turkish: Cakal; Urdu: Geedar; Wolof: Till; Yoruba: Amote kun.
Former distribution: As now.
Present distribution: In restricted areas of Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, coastal area of the Black Sea in the USSR, Caucasia; Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand.
Behaviour: Preferred habitat: open savanna landscapes, hills and semi-arid regions, swamps. They hunt singly or in pairs and small groups; prey includes small game, insects, plant material and carrion; main activity is diurnal.
Population status: In many countries endangered. In India, Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand: stable.
Brief notes:
Body weight: 6.8-15 kg
Head and body length: 65-105 cm
Tail length: 18-27 cm
Shoulder height: 40-50 cm
Gestation period: 57-70 days
Maximum age: 12 years
Trophy: Skull length 16.4 cm, width 9.7 cm; CIC: 26.1 points.
Hunting methods: On a kill; with dogs, on horse-back, with eagles, traps.
Subspecies: Although HALTENORTH and DILLER (1977) note 19 subspecies, here only the nominated species is listed.