You’re correct if you guessed the “street cleaner” label is due to a practice of feeding on animals that were killed on the road. Our mystery animal is definitely a scavenger, meaning it doesn’t mind dining on the carcasses of animals not killed by itself. But no, the answer today is not a vulture. Our animal is far more dog-like than bird-like.
Let me tell you, Wondernose, that our mystery mammal has more variety in its diet than roadkills. It’s a pretty good hunter in its own right, especially when hunting in pairs or even in packs. This animal will take down deer and other prey larger than itself. If the carcass is not all eaten in the first day, the animal will carry away the leftovers and bury them for later use.
Our animal prefers to live in open country rather than forest, Wondernose. However, it is a nocturnal creature, so you wouldn’t often catch sight of it during the day. Furthermore, it is very stealthy and secretive, skulking behind bushes and tall grass.
One of its habits, though, is not secretive at all—the habit of singing in the evening. What a series of howls and yaps will come floating at sunset! You could think it’s a whole pack of animals, whereas it’s just one individual singing a gamut of songs.
I don’t blame you for thinking coyote must be the answer. There’s certainly a lot of similarity between our mystery animal and the coyote. However, I’m talking about a smaller animal, only 3 feet (1 m) long with the tail included, whereas coyotes tend to be larger. What’s more, our mystery animal is found only in the Old World, mostly in Africa and Asia. Coyotes aren’t so much carrion eaters and don’t have the “street-cleaning” reputation of the jackals.
There, the answer has slipped out. If you’ve heard or read of jackals, you may have gotten the impression that people look down on them because of their scavenging and skulking habits. Actually it’s unfair to give the jackal a bad reputation. It is simply behaving according to the way God created it.
Sometimes after the lions have eaten their fill from a carcass, the jackals will close in. However, as I’ve said, the diet of the jackal is extremely varied. It likes fruit, too, and can become a pest for farmers who raise watermelons or sugarcane.
Three main species of jackals are recognized. Looking more like a fox than a dog, the golden jackal has a grayish-yellow coat and is the only jackal found in European and Asian countries, besides in Africa. The black-backed jackal of Africa is prized for its fur color. Black on the back contrasts vividly with reddish-brown on the sides. Then there’s the side-striped jackal of southern Africa. Its name gives all the description needed.
Like most wild dogs, Wondernose, the jackal will have its den in a burrow or a cave. The black-backed jackal makes exceptions, though. It doesn’t mind breaking into a termite nest and setting up housekeeping there!
Often two to four young are born in a litter. If the jackals’ family life is disturbed in any way, such as by a predator trying to enter the den, it will pick up the babies and make a home elsewhere. Both parents are busy bringing home food for the young ones. Not till they’re around six months old will the little ones start foraging for themselves. Often they start practicing their hunting skills by catching insects. Staying under their parents’ care for another few months, they will soon be on their own to continue the jackals’ job of street cleaning.
