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Canis mesomelas
Order: Carnivora > Family: Canidae > Genus: Canis > Species: Canis mesomelas
Type Description
Die Saugethiere, 2(14):pl. 95 [1775]; text, 3(21):370 [1776].
Type Locality
'Vorgebirge der guten Hofnung' [South Africa, Western Cape Prov., Cape of Good Hope].
Measurements
Head and body: 680-745 mm
Tail length: 300-380 mm
Weight: 7-13.5 kg
Tail length: 300-380 mm
Weight: 7-13.5 kg
Description
Jackals are omnivorous and found in a variety of habitats.
Distribution
Distributed in the drier areas of Africa, like Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania in the north and from Angola to Mozambique down to South Africa in the south, Canis mesomelas prefers acacia savannas, woodlands, and thickets but can be found in most habitat types from upland velds and mountains to coastal desert. (Kingdon, 1989, 1997)
Key References
1. Kingdon, J. 1989. East African mammals: An atlas of evolution in Africa. (Carnivores). University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 3A:30-35. 2. Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, AP Natural World Academic Press, Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, p. 219-220.
3. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1:634-636, 655-659.
4. Swynnerton, G. H., and R. W. Hayman. 1951. A checklist of the land mammals of the Tanganyika Territory and the Zanzibar Protectorate. Journal of the East African Natural History Society, 20(6):274-392.
3. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1:634-636, 655-659.
4. Swynnerton, G. H., and R. W. Hayman. 1951. A checklist of the land mammals of the Tanganyika Territory and the Zanzibar Protectorate. Journal of the East African Natural History Society, 20(6):274-392.