Jackals are not native to California, inhabiting specific regions across Africa, Asia, and parts of Southeast Europe. Sightings resembling a jackal in California are misidentifications of native wildlife. Understanding the natural ranges and characteristics of both clarifies this distinction.
Jackals and Their Native Habitats
Jackals are medium-sized canids with slender bodies, long legs, and pointed muzzles. Three species exist: the golden jackal (Canis aureus), the black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas), and the side-striped jackal (Lupulella adusta). Each has distinct geographic distributions and preferred habitats.
The golden jackal is the most widespread, found across North and East Africa, Southeast Europe, and South Asia. It adapts to dry open country, grasslands, and agricultural areas. Golden jackals are yellow to pale gold with brown-tipped fur, preying on small animals and scavenging.
The black-backed jackal is native to eastern and southern Africa, inhabiting savannas, woodlands, and arid coastal deserts. They have a reddish-brown to tan coat with a black saddle, feeding on small to medium-sized animals, invertebrates, and plant matter.
The side-striped jackal is found across sub-Saharan Africa, in moister habitats like wooded areas, savannas, thickets, and mountainous regions. This species is gray to tan with a white-tipped tail and often has faint black side stripes. Primarily nocturnal and omnivorous, their diet includes insects, fruits, small vertebrates, and carrion.
Canids Native to California
California is home to native canid species sometimes mistaken for jackals. The most common is the coyote (Canis latrans). Coyotes are adaptable, inhabiting almost every habitat type, from deserts to urban areas. They resemble a medium-sized dog with a slender build, pointed ears, and a bushy, black-tipped tail. Their fur color ranges from grayish-brown to yellowish-gray.
Coyotes are opportunistic omnivores, preying on small mammals, insects, fruits, and carrion. They are active day or night, often more nocturnal near human activity. Coyotes hunt alone or in pairs, or form larger groups where food is abundant. Their high-pitched yapping and howling are a common sound in California.
California hosts several fox species. The gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) is common in shrublands, woodlands, and chaparral. They have a salt-and-pepper gray coat with reddish-brown highlights and a black-tipped tail. Gray foxes are unique among canids for their ability to climb trees, using this skill to forage or escape predators. Their diet includes small rodents, birds, insects, and berries.
The kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) includes the San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica) and the desert kit fox (Vulpes macrotis arsipus). The San Joaquin kit fox, North America’s smallest canid, is found in the San Joaquin Valley and surrounding foothills. They are tan with large ears and a black-tipped tail, adapted for desert and grassland environments. Primarily nocturnal, these foxes hunt small rodents and insects. The desert kit fox inhabits the Mojave and Colorado deserts.
Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are present in California, with native and non-native populations. The Sierra Nevada red fox (Vulpes vulpes necator) is a rare native subspecies found in high-elevation mountain habitats. Other red fox populations were introduced. Red foxes are larger than gray or kit foxes, with reddish-orange fur, black legs, and a bushy, white-tipped tail. They are adaptable omnivores, consuming small mammals, birds, and plant matter.