The Black-backed Jackal, also known as the Silver-backed Jackal, is a species of jackal which inhabits two areas of the African continent separated by roughly 900 km. One region includes the southern-most tip of the continent including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. The other area is along the eastern coastline, including Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia. The fossil record indicates that the Black-backed Jackal is the oldest living member of the genus Canis. As its name suggests, the species' most distinguishing feature is the silver-black fur running from the back of the neck to the base of the tail. The chest and under parts are white to rusty-white, whereas the rest of the body ranges from reddish brown to ginger. Females tend not to be as richly coloured as males. The winter coat of adult males develops a reddish to an almost deep russet red colour. The Black-backed Jackal is typically 14–19 in high at the shoulder, 45–90 cm long and 15–30 lb in weight. Specimens in the southern part of the continent tend to be larger than their more northern cousins.

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