The Sri Lankan jackal (''Canis aureus naria''), also known as the Southern Indian jackal is a subspecies of

golden jackal The golden jackal (''Canis aureus''), also called common jackal, is a wolf-like canid that is native to Southeast Europe, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and regions of Southeast Asia. The golden jackal's coat varies in color from a pale creamy ...

native to southern

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and Sri Lanka. On the Asian mainland, the Sri Lankan jackal occurs in the whole southern part of the

Indian peninsula The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...

, from

Thana Thana means "police station" in South Asian countries, and can also mean the district controlled by a police station. * Thanas of Bangladesh, former subdistricts in the administrative geography of Bangladesh; later renamed ''upazila'' * in (Briti ...

near

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

in the northwest southwards through the Western Ghats,

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

, the

Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats pass through Odisha, Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka as well as Telangana. They are eroded and cut ...

and

Madura Madura Island is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately (administratively 5,379.33 km2 including various smaller islands to the east, southeast and north that are administrati ...

. It can be found throughout Sri Lanka.''Fauna of British India: Mammals Volume 2'' by R. I. Pocock, printed by Taylor and Francis, 1941
/ref> In southern India, adult males measure on average 29 inches in length, while females measure 26½ inches. Weight ranges 12-19 lbs. In Sri Lanka, they can attain slightly greater sizes than their mainland cousins. Jackals in Sri Lanka, though classed as the same subspecies as those in southern India, have a rooted lobe on the inner side of the third upper premolar. The winter coat of Sri Lankan jackals is shorter, smoother and not as shaggy than those of northern

Indian jackal The Indian jackal (''Canis aureus indicus''), also known as the Himalayan jackal is a subspecies of golden jackal native to Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Burma and Nepal. Its karyotype is quite different (2N=78; NF=84) from that of its Eurasian and Af ...

s. The coat is also darker on the back, being black and speckled with white. The underside is more pigmented on the chin, hind throat, chest and forebelly, while the limbs are rusty ochreous or rich tan. Moulting occurs earlier in the season than with northern Indian jackals, and the pelt generally does not lighten in colour. Sri Lankan jackals (Canis aureus naria) male and pregnant female 2.jpg, male grooming female Sri Lankan jackals (Canis aureus naria) male and pregnant female 3.jpg, female grooming male

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7586107 Subspecies of Canis aureus Mammals of India Mammals of Sri Lanka