Unusual diet of black-backed jackals on Namibia's coast
A jackal looking for prey in a colony of South African (or Cape) fur seals.
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzMeerkats evading a mother jackal that is searching for food for her cubs.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzA female harp seal with her young.
Transcript
The Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Namibia - the cold, nutrient-rich waters are teeming with life. Black-backed jackals living here have specialized on an unusual diet. Every year, thousands of Cape fur seals congregate on Namibia’s coast to breed. The waters are rich in fish and will support both them and their growing young.
The males are busy asserting their positions, each battling for command of the largest harem. The females appear to show little interest in the combats of the opposite sex. A jackal has set his eyes on the colony. Many of the females are suckling young, and the jackal knows that this is his chance. The calls of the young pups give away their position. But entering the tightly-packed colony is not for the faint-hearted. Fur seals are fierce and unpredictable. They can easily kill an adult jackal. But finally success. He’s managed to retrieve a still-born pup. It will last him for a few days.
The males are busy asserting their positions, each battling for command of the largest harem. The females appear to show little interest in the combats of the opposite sex. A jackal has set his eyes on the colony. Many of the females are suckling young, and the jackal knows that this is his chance. The calls of the young pups give away their position. But entering the tightly-packed colony is not for the faint-hearted. Fur seals are fierce and unpredictable. They can easily kill an adult jackal. But finally success. He’s managed to retrieve a still-born pup. It will last him for a few days.