Jackal Vs Coyote: Key Differences & Comparison
Jackals and coyotes may belong to the same Canidae family but live in altogether different parts of the world. Coyote is generally limited to the North American continent while the jackal is mainly found in Asia and Africa. Being canine family members, both of them have dog-like facial appearances. There are differences that exist between these animals. In this article, we are going to make a hypothetical comparison between these animals. We are going to compare jackal vs coyote on the basis of their physical features and social traits.
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Key differences between jackal and coyote
The main differences between coyotes and jackals come in terms of their geographical location, size, scientific name, and social behavior. Coyote has an active presence in North America while the jackal is found in the Asian and African regions. The coyote has an upper hand in terms of their size as compared to the Jackal but the bite force of the jackal is better than the coyote. Scientifically, the coyote has been named Canis latrans, while the name of the jackal is Canis aureus. Coyote is a pack animal while the jackal could live in a pack, alone, or in the form of pairs.
In this comparison, we are going to compare them on the basis of their physical attributes and it would also help us in knowing which one of them could have the upper hand if a fight broke out between them.
| Features | Jackal | Coyote |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Weight: 11-26 lbs Length: 24-30 inches Height: 16 inches | Weight: 15-45 lbs Length: 30 -35 inches Height: 24-26 inches |
| Teeth | 42 teeth, utilize them for grabbing and shaking the prey. | 42 teeth, utilize for the gripping and tearing of the prey. |
| Bite force | 94 BFQ | 88 BFQ |
| Senses | Hearing is helpful in finding underground prey, smelling better than dogs and wolves, great visionary senses at night. | Smelling better than dogs, Hearing from a mile away. Smelling better than dogs. |
| Speed | 40 mph | 35-40 mph |
| Defense mechanism | Senses plus speed | Senses plus speed |
| Offensive abilities | Fatal bite | Strong bite plus sharp claws |
| Predatory behavior | Opportunistic predator | Ambush predators, hunt in packs. |
| Conservation status | Least concern | Least concern |
Let’s discuss these differences in detail.
Size: jackal vs coyote
When it comes to size, the coyote has an upper hand over the jackal. Both are among the largest breed of dogs. Jackal is almost 16 inches and has a body length of t almost 2.5 feet. It is not very bulky and weighs up to 26 pounds. On the other hand, coyotes are bigger and heavier than jackals. They are almost 45 pounds heavy and 26 inches tall and have a body length of almost 3 feet. It means the coyote has the upper hand in all the height, weight, and length.
Paw size
When we compare them on the basis of their paw size, then you can observe that the paw size of the coyote is much wider in shape as compared to the jackal. In terms of their claws, the coyote claws are also superior over the jackal. The strength of the coyote is also much better than the strength of the jackal.
Habitat
Both of them may live in altogether different kinds of continents but they share the same kind of habitat. Jackals could be easily found in Asia, Africa, and the European continent. In these areas, they prefer to live in shrubs, trees, grasslands, and sandy areas. On the other hand, coyotes mainly reside in the North American continent and prefer to live in open fields, grassy areas, forests, and mountainous areas.
Teeth and bite force: coyote vs Jackal
These are wild animals and the teeth of these animals are very important to discuss to check their ability to catch the prey as well as teeth playing a very vital role in deciding the fight between these animals. Both of them have 42 teeth in total number but they differ in terms of their length. Jackals has just 1-inches long teeth while coyote has 1.5 inches long. But these teeth are good enough in grabbing and tearing apart the prey.
They also differ in terms of their bite force quotient. The BFQ of the coyote teeth is 88 while the BFQ of the jackal teeth is almost 94. It means a jackal has an upper hand over a coyote in terms of their teeth bite force. In this aspect, both will get equal marks as if the teeth of the jackal are more powerful than the coyote and also have better quality and long teeth.
Speed: Jackals vs Coyotes
The speed of the wild animal is highly helpful in grabbing prey as well as in keeping the animals safe from their predators. Both of these animals are quite good in terms of their agility and speed. Jackal can easily run with the speed of 40 mph while the speed of the coyote also varies between 35 to 40 mph. There is not much difference.
Senses
Jackal is excellent in the hearing, smelling, and sighting senses. They can smell even better than dogs. Moreover, they have great vision and can easily see any danger in the night when they come out. They can also hear the presence of small mammals underground which are good sources of their diet.
On the other hand, the coyote is also good in terms of their visionary and hearing senses. They can also smell better than trained dogs. The visionary sense of the coyote greatly helps them at nighttime. Hearing-wise, they might not be good enough as the jackal are but they can easily hear from a mile away. In comparison to the senses, the jackal has an upper hand over the coyote.
Defensive mechanism: Coyotes vs Jackals
Both of them utilize their extraordinary senses and very powerful bite force in their overall defense against their opponents or predators. First of all, they utilize their excellent senses in realizing the level of danger and after that, they apply other elements like speed in their favor to keep them away from danger.
Offensive abilities
To target their animals more offensively, they apply their teeth and bite force on their opponents. Jackal will always attack from the back and then give the final blow of death. Coyote will chase down the opponent by grabbing from any critical areas. Coyote also drags them a little before cutting their ribbons and giving the final blow of death with the help of their sharp claws. Both of them are highly offensive animals while catching prey. They are opportunistic predators, persistent hunters, and offensive stalkers.
Conservation status
Both of them are the least concerned on the IUCN red list. Coyote has a very stable population throughout the North American continent and you can also hunt and trap these wild animals whenever you want. It is open throughout the year to kill and hunt these animals in almost all the states of the USA.
On the other hand, the jackal also has a very good and stable population throughout the continents like Europe and Asian continents. Although the countries where the jackals are present have their own regulations regarding the hunting and trapping of these animals.
Jackal vs Coyote: who would be the ultimate winner?
In the ultimate fight between these animals, the coyote would be the ultimate winner. It has an upper hand in terms of overall size, teeth length, and overall aggressiveness. In all the other physical features, both of these animals are almost equal.
Jackals are skittish in their fight and they don’t always prefer to eat by killing fresh animals. They could rely on any animal even if it was not killed by them. Coyotes are experienced and aggressive fighters and always prefer to fight for their own food.
If they come near each other by chance, then we must keep in our mind that they can easily smell each other from some distance before engaging in a fight directly. If the clash happens, they will fight till the bitter end even if they kill themselves in this fight. Coyote would likely be the winner due to some advantages in terms of size, better teeth, and excellent fighting skills.
Frequently asked questions
Conclusion
In this article, we have done our best to compare jackal vs coyote in detail. We have covered all the little bit details about them. They might be living in altogether different regions of the world but they show close resemblance with each other due to their similar appearance. We have compared these animals on the basis of their size, teeth, weight, bite force, speed, etc. By analyzing these things, you will be damn sure who could be the ultimate winner if the fight happens between these animals.
