The Golden Jackal

Golden jackals are quite similar to wolves in many ways.  They have long fluffy tails and long hair.  The coat of a golden jackal is yellowish gold, with some browns and blacks, as shown in the picture above.  Jackals are weigh about as much as a medium-sized dog and are about a 100 cm long, including the tail.  They are omnivores, consuming an almost equal percentage of meat and plants every day.  Golden jackals have a varied diet and will eat many things. Some of their choices include young gazelle, rodents, frogs, hares, fish, fruit and other plants, as well as insects. They will also eat carrion.

Golden jackals prefer to live in areas such as steppes, grasslands, savannahs, and other open dry lands.  They mate for life and will live in pairs, sometimes with a few other jackals, called helpers, that don't have any pups of their own, but take care of the other jackal's pups.  A litter usually has around 4 pups, but on some ocasions, litters of 9 have been recorded.  This species is not endangered and it lives abundantly in North and Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Southeastern Europe.

The Bengal Tiger

India is famous for its Bengal tigers.  However, most people actually don't know a lot about these huge and majestic animals.  Most Bengal tigers are a yellow-golden color with distinctive black stripes and a white underside.  There are also Bengal tigers that have snow white fur and black stripes.  Male tigers weigh about 500 pounds on average and are 270-310cm long.  Females are usually about 300 pounds and are 240-265cm long. They are, of course, carnivores, feeding primarily on chital, sambar, and hog deer.  They will also eat livestock, water buffalo, and gaur (similar to yak). They will also kill and eat wild boar.  They use what is called the "feast and famine" method of eating.  They will eat as much as 80 pounds of meat in one meal and then not eat again for a few days.

Bengal tigers live in tropical jungles, brush, grasslands, and marsh lands in small parts of Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Burma, and Bhutan. This species is endangered and there are estimated to be less than 3,000 of these tigers in the wild. Males are extremely territorial and will challenge any other male to a fight.  Females are less territorial and have been to known to share their territory with other females.  Males do not take part in raising cubs at all and the female will live with her cubs for about 18 months, and then the cubs will be ready to live on their own.  A litter usually has 3 to 4 cubs.

Commensalistic Relationship

Since these two animals both live in India, their paths have crossed many times and they have developed a commensalistic relationship.  Lone jackals that are not in a pack will attach themselves to a specific tiger, and follow it from a safe distance.  After the tiger has made a kill, the jackal will lie in wait.  Once the tiger leaves the scene, the jackal will feast on the remains of the animal.  After it is done it will catch up to the tiger and resume its position.  The jackal benefits from this relationship, but the relationship does not affect the tiger at all.