Original: Jackals fill a similar ecological niche to the coyote (sometimes called the "American jackal" 4.1 Coyote Canis latrans Say, 1823 Least concern (/O2004/O) by E.M. Gese & M. Bekoff) in North America.
Simplified: Jackals are monogamous (each male live with only a female), and a pair defends its territory from other pairs.