Black-backed jackal
Lupulella mesomelas (Schreber, 1775)
The black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas) is a species in the family Canidae, order Carnivora. Recorded adults weigh 8.25 kg to 8.5 kg and live up to 14 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the black-backed jackal
- Weight
- 8.25 kg – 8.5 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 14 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 16.7 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- desertsrc for Habitat
- Gestation
- 60 days – 65 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 3 – 6src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 8.25 months – 10.2 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the black-backed jackal live?
Not recorded
What is the black-backed jackal?
The black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas) is a medium-sized canine native to eastern and southern Africa. These regions are separated by roughly 900 km (560 mi).
One region includes the southernmost tip of the continent, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The other area is along the eastern coastline, including Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. It is listed on the IUCN Red List as least concern due to its widespread range and adaptability, although it is still persecuted as a livestock predator and rabies vector.
It has a reddish brown to tan coat and a black saddle that extends from the shoulders to the base of the tail. It is a monogamous animal, whose young may remain with the family to help raise new generations of pups. The black-backed jackal has a wide array of food sources, feeding on small to medium-sized animals, as well as plant matter and human refuse.
It also plays a prominent role in African folklore, often depicted as a cunning and adaptable trickster figure. Despite ongoing conflict with humans due to livestock predation, its populations remain stable thanks to its resilience and adaptability across diverse landscapes.
From the Wikipedia article “Black-backed jackal” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black-backed_jackal&oldid=1375670281), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the black-backed jackal endangered?
The black-backed jackal is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the black-backed jackal classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderCarnivora
- familyCanidae
- genusLupulella
- SpeciesLupulella mesomelas (Schreber, 1775)
Synonyms Canis mesomelas
Other names and names in other languages (53)
- Silver-backed jackalEnglish
- RooijakkalsAfrikaans
- SkaapvangerAfrikaans
- SwartrugjakkalsAfrikaans
- ابن آوى فضي الظهرArabic
- ابن آوى أسود الظهرArabic
- šakal čabrakovýCzech
- SkaberaksjakalDanish
- SchabrakenschakalGerman
- SchabrackenschakalGerman
- Αφρικανικό ΤσακάλιGreek
- Chacal de lomo negroSpanish
- Mustselg-šaakalEstonian
- vaippasakaaliFinnish
- Chacal á chabraqueFrench
- Chacal à chabraqueFrench
- Crnoleđi čagaljCroatian
- panyókás sakálHungarian
- Sciacallo dalla gualdrappaItalian
- セグロジャッカルJapanese
- Mungugwekck
- Mmungugbwekck
- mphungugwekck
- Phungubgwekck
- phungugwekck
- 검은등자칼Korean
- Juodnugaris šakalasLithuanian
- SkaberakksjakalNorwegian Bokmål
- SvartryggsjakalNorwegian Bokmål
- ZadeljakhalsDutch
- PhokojweNorthern Sotho
- szakal czaprakowyPolish
- Chacal-de-dorso-negroPortuguese
- Chacal-de-costas-pretasPortuguese
- Чепрачный шакалRussian
- usibwesbs
- podsedliški šakalSlovenian
- gavaShona
- MhungubweShona
- nheveravauyaShona
- Bweha shabaSwahili
- Bweha nyakunduSwahili
- Bweha NyekundaSwahili
- หมาจิ้งจอกหลังดำThai
- kara sırtlı çakalTurkish
- PhokojeTswana
- MhungubyeTsonga
- Шакал чепрачнийUkrainian
- PhunguhweVenda
- ImpungutyeXhosa
- udyakalasheXhosa
- 黑背胡狼Chinese
- ImpungusheZulu
Relatives of the black-backed jackal
Other species in the same genus Lupulella.
CompareBlack-backed jackal vs Side-striped jackalBlack-backed jackal vs Lupulella mohibiBlack-backed jackal vs Lupulella paralius
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the black-backed jackal?
An adult black-backed jackal weighs 8.25 kg – 8.5 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the black-backed jackal endangered?
The black-backed jackal is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the black-backed jackal live?
The black-backed jackal has a recorded lifespan of 14 years.
How long is the black-backed jackal pregnant?
The recorded gestation period is 60 days – 65 days.
What kind of animal is the black-backed jackal?
The black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas) belongs to the family Canidae in the order Carnivora.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-backed-jackal
“Black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-backed-jackal.
@misc{black_backed_jackal_2026,
title = {Black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-backed-jackal},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}