jackal
/ˈdʒakəl
/noun
A slender long-legged wild dog that feeds on carrion, game, and fruit and often hunts cooperatively, found in Africa and southern Asia.
- Genus Canis, family Canidae: four species.
- Following on their heels are the predators of the savanna - lion, cheetah, wild dog, jackal, hyena and vultures.
- Burrows which have been abandoned may be used for shelter by bats, ground squirrels, hares, cats, civets, hyenas, jackals, porcupines, monitor lizards, owls and warthogs.
Origin
Early 17th century: from Turkish çakal, from Persian šagāl. The change in the first syllable was due to association with jack1.