Jackals feed on almost any small animal, but they are chiefly scavengers that eat animals they find dead.
Jackals have a musky smell.
Because of this, jackals are considered to be poor pets. The common jackal looks more like a fox than a dog. People prize the black-backed jackal of Africa for its fur, which is more attractive than that of the common jackal. Jackals belong to the dog family, Canidae. James L. Patton, Ph.D., Professor of Zoology and Curator of Mammals, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Univ. of California, Berkeley.