# Golden jackal (*Canis aureus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/golden-jackal  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a mammal of the family Canidae in the order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial and nocturnal carnivore of forest and grassland habitats, with an adult body mass from 10 to 11 kg. Gestation lasts 62.39 days (up to 63 days), a litter holds 3.95 young (up to 5.7), sexual maturity comes at 334 days, and lifespan is 16 years, up to 18.8 years. The golden jackal is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 10 kg – 11 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 16 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 18.8 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest, grassland |
| Gestation | 62.4 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.95 – 5.7 |
| Age at maturity | 11 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.05 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Canidae
- genus: Canis
- species: *Canis aureus* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Aureus aureus*, *Canis anthus*, *Canis anthus soudanicus*, *Canis aureus algirensis*, *Canis aureus anthus*, *Canis aureus aureus*, *Canis aureus balcanicus*, *Canis aureus bea*, *Canis aureus cruesemanni*, *Canis aureus ecsedensis*, *Canis aureus hungaricus*, *Canis aureus indicus*, *Canis aureus minor*, *Canis aureus moreotica*, *Canis aureus naria*, *Canis aureus qattarensis*, *Canis aureus riparius*, *Canis aureus soudanicus*, *Canis aureus syriacus*, *Canis aureus typicus*, *Canis aureus var. algira*, *Canis aureus var. barbarus*, *Canis aureus var. caucasica*, *Canis aureus var. indica*, *Canis aureus var. moreotica*, *Canis aureus var. nubica*, *Canis aureus var. senegalensis*, *Canis aureus var. syriaco*, *Canis aureus vulgaris*, *Canis barbarus*, *Canis cruesemanni*, *Canis dalmatinus*, *Canis gallaensis*, *Canis graecus*, *Canis hadramaticus*, *Canis indicus*, *Canis indicus kola*, *Canis lanka*, *Canis lupaster doederleini*, *Canis lupus minor*, *Canis mengesi*, *Canis naria*, *Canis riparius*, *Canis sacer*, *Canis somalicus*, *Canis studeri*, *Canis syriacus*, *Canis thooides*, *Canis variegatus*, *Sacalius aureus*, *Sacalius indicus*, *Thos aureus*, *Thos aureus algirensis*, *Thos aureus anthus*, *Thos aureus bea*, *Thos aureus ecsedensis*, *Thos aureus lupaster*, *Thos aureus maroccanus*, *Thos aureus soudanicus*, *Thos gallaensis*, *Thos lamperti*, *Thos lupaster maroccanus*, *Thous anthus*, *Thous sengalensi*, *Thous variegatus*, *Vulpes indiae orientalis*

## Common questions

### How heavy is a golden jackal?

An adult golden jackal weighs 10.35 kg, with reported values from 10 to 11 kg.

### What does the golden jackal eat?

The golden jackal is a carnivore.

### Is the golden jackal endangered?

No. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a golden jackal live?

The golden jackal has a lifespan of 16 years, with values up to 18.8 years reported.

### How many young does a golden jackal have?

A golden jackal litter holds 3.95 young, up to 5.7, with 1.05 litters per year after a gestation of 62.39 days.

### What kind of animal is the golden jackal?

The golden jackal is a mammal in the family Canidae and the genus Canis.

### What habitats does the golden jackal live in?

The golden jackal lives in forest and grassland habitats and is terrestrial and nocturnal.

### Who named the golden jackal?

The golden jackal, Canis aureus, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Golden jackal (Canis aureus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/golden-jackal