File:Golden jackal standing close up - DPLA - 2d2e21b97656fa04d206a9830e09e475.jpg

35 mm slide; color. Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata; Class: Mammalia; Order: Carnivora; Family: Canidae; Genus: Canis; Genus species: Canis aureus. Animal characteristics: Head-Body Length: 60-106 cm; Height: 38-50 cm; Weight: 7-15 kg; Identification: The coat of the golden jackal is either pale golden brown or yellow tipped with brown. The underside is more pale and the tip of the tail is black; Habitat: Open country with trees and brush; Diet: Carnivore: invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, birds, small mammals, carrion; Reproduction: Mating season varies by a population's location. Births usually peak when food is most abundant. Gestation is 63 days long, with 1-9 pups being born afterwards. The female lactates (gives milk) for 8-10 weeks. Golden jackals live for 13 years in the wild and 16 years in captivity; Social Structure: Mated pairs may use helpers (usually last year's pups). If food is abundant, there may be up to 20 members in a group; Behavior: Jackals are usually active during the night and day but will switch to being purely nocturnal in human inhabited areas; Status: No special status; Interesting Facts: Despite previous thought, jackals hunt as well as scavenge for food. Golden jackals prefer to bite at the belly to take down prey.