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Indian Jackal (Canus aureus)

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh

India

 

The Indian jackal (Canis aureus indicus), also known as the Himalayan jackal is a subspecies of golden jackal native to Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Burma and Nepal. Its karyotype is quite different from that of its Eurasian and African counterparts.

 

It typically inhabits lowlands on the outskirts of towns, villages and farms, where they shelter in holes among ruins or dense brush. Except during hot periods, the Indian jackal usually only leaves its den at dusk and retires at dawn.

 

Though primarily a scavenger which subsists on garbage and offal, it will supplement its diet with rodents, reptiles, fruit and insects. It will form small packs when hunting small deer and antelopes.

 

Lone jackals expelled from their pack have been known to form commensal relationships with tigers. They will attach themselves to a particular tiger, trailing it at a safe distance in order to feed on the big cat's kills. Tigers have been known to tolerate these jackals: one report describes how a jackal confidently walked in and out between three tigers walking together a few feet away from each other. – Wikipedia

 

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Uploaded on December 5, 2024
Taken on March 8, 2012