The black-backed jackal is a fearsome predator of the African plains. They howl loudly before setting off on their evening hunts. They scavenge for live rats, mice, and weak gazelle fawns. They will also eat things that have just recently died.
Jackals are extremely territorrial.
They form complexly large social groups for hunting and surviving. They mostly mate for a lifetime, spending their daytimes guarding new litters of baby jackals in holes or deep brush.