Abstract:
A study was performed on black-backed jackals Canis mesomelas Schreber, 1778, in the Kalahari National Gemsbok Park and in the Transvaal, Republic of South Africa. Adult jackal pairs move on mutually. exclusive home ranges with definite core areas. Home ranges vary in size from 2, 1 km 2 to 91 km 2, depending on the geographical area. Young jackals often move over large areas that overlap with adult home ranges. Young jackals often reach psychological maturity after two years of age. Jackals in the Western Transvaal prefer bushveld-areas, and they have daily activity peaks between 18h00-24h00 and 05h00-08h00. Activity increases dramatically during certain phases of the moon. Both - dogs and bitches scent mark and fecal scent marks are more common near home range boundaries. The pair bond of jackal pairs is apparently long-lasting and stable. A wide range of social attitudes is found that compares with animals with complex social structures e.g. C. lupus. ·
