The jackal (from Turkish çakal, via Persian shaghal ultimately from Sanskrit sṛgālaḥ )'s a member of any of three (sometimes four) small to medium-sized species of the family Canidae, found in Africa, Asia and southeastern Europe. Jackals fill a similar ecological niche to the coyote in North America, that of predators of small to medium-sized animals, scavengers, and omnivores. Their long legs and curved canine teeth are adapted for hunting small mammals, birds and reptil… (More on Jackals)