Seasonal diet of black-backed jackal in the Eastern Karoo, South Africa

The ability of small canids to consume a variety of resources in an opportunistic manner has been cited as a reason for their wide distribution across many habitats. Black-backed jackals Canis mesomelas have varied diets that reflect changes in food availability as a result of seasonal fluctuations in resources. Seasonal fluctuations can include variations in food type availability, as well as variations in the phenology of food resources (i.e. ungulate birth peaks). Additionally, the presence of apex predators can affect opportunistic predator diets through the provision of carrion. We investigated the diet of black-backed jackals on a reserve in the semi-arid Karoo, South Africa. Ungulates (>5 kg) were the dominant prey item across all seasons, reflecting either active predation or scavenging. Most seasonal comparisons in percent occurrence of prey groups revealed significant seasonal fluctuations in black-backed jackal diet. However, in terms of biomass consumed, the diet remained stable, dominated by small ungulates across all seasons with no clear seasonal change in ungulate composition. These results suggest that in this study black-backed jackals, although being opportunistic in terms of diet composition, had a seasonally stable food resource, most likely facilitated by the presence of cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus providing scavenging opportunities.