The Golden Jackal is a common species in the Zarafshan Valley and Zarafshan National Park. If you look at the clay and sandy banks, most likely you will see numerous jackal footprints. To distinguish jackal tracks from those of a fox and dog, pay attention to the area between the middle toes. The jackal's foot is not covered with hair, so the tracks are usually clear and it should be easy to see that there is no gap between the middle toes, giving their footprint the form of a heart.
In appearance, the jackal resembles a small-sized wolf. Its coat is predominantly grey, but with light reddish and yellowish streaks. Hence the name – the Golden Jackal. Its massive bushy tail always points downwards. Jackals have five toes on their fore paws, and four on their hind ones.
This predator lives in tugai forests and thickets along rivers, and hides in burrows in steep river banks and in adjacent agricultural fields.
The Golden Jackal is almost omnivorous. It feeds on birds nesting on the ground and their eggs, as well as snakes, lizards, frogs, rodents and insects. Its diet within the national park also includes the Turkestan rat, Tamarisk Jird, Tolai Hare, Common Pheasant and Muskrat. The predator's favourite hunting grounds are the areas of the Zarafshan riverbed not covered with water and open glades. The jackal also feeds on carrion. It thus sanitises the area. From the middle of the summer, jackals begin to eat the fruits of plum trees, Russian olives and sea buckthorn bushes.
The jackal is a nocturnal animal, but often, especially in the winter, it can be seen during the day. Jackals hunt alone, in pairs, or in family groups. At dusk, before going out to hunt, one animal makes a loud howl, resembling a high-pitched whine or cry, and all the other family members immediately join them.
The first family of jackals is followed by others, and soon the entire pack is communicating through cries. In June, puppies join the howling of adults: they can be identified by their higher-pitched cries.
