A Year In The Life Of The Jackal | Our World

[Music] among scavengers competition is intense [Music] black-backed jackals are thriving opportunists they grab what they can but success is a lifelong gamble [Music] rivalry among jackals causes friction and provokes conflict [Music] crazy is a minor player he's only one year old and not big or confident enough to compete [Music] many seasons will pass but in time quezie might get a chance this is kwez's mother her pups are his new brothers and sisters quezi has stayed in his parents territory as a helper in jackal society where the stakes are high the more minders a family has the more pups are likely to survive jackals give birth every year just before the wet season to allow their young the best chance of survival myriads of insects emerge shortly after the rains and for the next few months become a major part of the jackals diet for now though food is in short supply all the adult jackals must concentrate on hunting the pups retreat is a sign that a storm is imminent quezie has to brave the elements out in the open [Music] [Applause] [Music] quezie returns to a hidden cache with every new season comes a change of fortune [Music] for most of the year namibia's etosha national park is a desolate place [Music] there's little vegetation and almost no surface water [Music] but for a few weeks after the rains a sweet and nutritious grass grows here and the water holes fill [Music] vast flocks of abdems stalks are attracted to the area they come to take advantage of the abundance of insects the brief flush of greenery is a magnet for grazers from far and wide what the jackals suddenly find their normally barren land overflowing with life the zebra are unsettled and easily spooked [Laughter] when quezie meets his parents relations seems strained even though they know each other well they greet with caution they're highly strong animals neurotic even [Music] following the initial turmoil caused by the arrival of so many the herds spread out and settle [Music] springbok timed the arrival of their lambs to coincide with the new grass [Music] the lambs get to their feet within minutes of being born the females all give birth within a few weeks this increases their offspring's likelihood of survival although newborn antelope are easy prey the predators can only eat a limited number the sooner a lamb is up and running and absorbed within the herd the harder it is for the hunters to catch quezie is diligent in his quest to find food the pups lives are at stake healthy adults are too big to tackle but even quersie could kill a newborn antelope a springbok lamb can run shortly after birth but lacks stamina like all young animals it needs to rest to avoid attracting attention to her offspring's whereabouts the female will only suckle her lamb two or three times a day there is scant vegetation to hide under but for their first few days the lambs have little scent to find them the predators almost have to stumble over them fortunately this one's mother was still close by quasi has failed the usually quiet nights now resound with the calls of courting bullfrogs [Music] bullfrogs survived the dry months by burying themselves and easter egging after digging to the surface through the newly moistened soil they then have to walk to water this one's journey is interrupted by quezi's younger brothers and sisters by puffing itself up the bullfrog tries to intimidate the three-month-old hops but it's his bark that scares the youngsters away as it cools other hunters awakening quasi is still on the scrounge like all young predators he can't resist playing with this food success at last but a mouse is a meager meal he's heard something interesting wow has never encountered a caracal he mobs the cat in an attempt to make her abandon her kill but she takes little notice unsure of himself he doesn't know how to deal with this stranger wow quezie loses out on a substantial meal but during the rainy season there are always insects to fall back on [Music] foreign father is after bigger prey the only time a jackal can bring down an adult springbok is when it's sick or wounded even then it takes patience and persistence hmm through teamwork and cooperation the pair will eventually exhaust their prey um at a large kill territorial boundaries break down it's a free-for-all even kwersi can grab something to eat but within minutes a heavyweight arrives on the scene jackals must eat as much as possible as fast as possible to avoid losing precious time [Music] [Applause] quasi grabs a last mouthful at last he's found something to get his teeth into and is reluctant to give it up but a young jackal is no match against an adult lion wow hmm [Music] [Music] across atasha jackal families are reuniting [Music] this could be one of the last times that kwersi performs these rituals with his parents the pups are becoming independent so the family won't be needing a helper for very much longer [Applause] [Laughter] anthrax is rife in natasha jackals are resistant but many other animals die of the disease their carcasses provide the well-grown pups with an opportunity to scavenge but chewing on old bones isn't very exciting for a while the pups distance themselves from life's harsh realities [Music] so [Music] an abdomen stalk has a broken wing the pups are young but they can sense that it's injured do the bird can't fly away but it can inflict a serious stab wound with its beak so foreign the stalk is outnumbered again it's teamwork which accounts for the jackal's success quezie has so far survived mainly on insects he's not hungry enough to eat a gecko that's long dead but it's still food and he can't quite leave it alone the time of plenty is coming to an end etosha dries out at an alarming speed and when it does the herds soon return to distant lands some animals have no need to move on the african rock monitor remains inactive during the dry season to save energy it is one of the largest carnivorous lizards on earth about 9 000 of these cold-blooded meat-eating two-meter-long monsters live in natasha national park they are a formidable adversary but even the adults are not immune to attack the honey badger has an awesome reputation it's often described as being mean and fearless [Music] the monitor lizard and the honey badger are an almost equal match wait for weight but the lizard can deliver a devastating lash with its tail the honey badger is undeterred [Music] [Applause] [Music] having taken another swipe at its enemy the lizard momentarily drops its guard this is the moment the badge has been waiting for [Music] the giant reptile is now effectively disarmed [Music] the badger reputation intact won't need to hunt again for several days this jackal is acting out of character something is seriously wrong during the dry season jackals tend to gather more often around water supplies due to the increased contact with other animals they're more susceptible to diseases including the dreaded rabies as the disease progresses rabid animals lose the ability to swallow and soon suffer from a terrible thirst clawing at their mouths is a common symptom um desperate to drink they concentrate around water holes rabies affects the nervous system causing abnormal behavior diseased animals often bite without provocation at anything within reach including other jackals rabies is transmitted through saliva one case of the disease can soon become an outbreak especially near waterholes which are communal meeting grounds during the final stages the stricken animal can go totally mad so uh [Music] [Music] once the symptoms of the disease start to show it's only a matter of days before the end [Music] [Music] quasi is now alone to find a territory of his own could take him hundreds of kilometers from home [Music] as long as he stays away from the disease-ridden area around the waterhole quezie stands a chance [Music] [Music] so finding food is ever more a major concern ostrich eggs contain a nourishing meal but the shells are hard and thick and almost impossible for a jackal to break into these have already been tampered with a hyena rolled them from their nest cracking their shells in the process for the first time in his life quezie must sleep in alien territory he will doze fitfully he must be on guard in this place where everything is strange caracals usually have two kittens but since they have no help in raising their young mortality is high this kitten has passed its most vulnerable age and the odds are now more in its favor the owners of the territory that kwersi has paused to rest in are hunting in atasha jackals are mainly active at night it's too hot during the day they use their acute sense of smell to locate prey hey the distress cries of the hair alert kwersi the situation merits investigation always an opportunist he tries to grab abortion for himself but the prize is too valuable to share the resident pair clearly communicate their resentment quasi is not welcome the resident male is overzealous in gulping down his meal and suffers the consequences has no choice but to move on a distant waterhole offers ample new opportunities for quersie flocks of namaqua sandgrass flying at first light to drink excited by so much potential food quezie rushes in headlong dove's visit in smaller groups this time his efforts are more focused [Applause] there is a knack to catching doves quezie just doesn't seem to have it a thorn makes him hubble a few steps but he's still determined it's a matter of waiting until a bird has its back turned and its head down but kwersi is impatient and spoils what little chance he had this male is a resident and a regular at the water waterhole he knows the birds only visit briefly and he's not prepared to let an inexperienced stranger ruin a morning's hunting there's so much food around that quezie considers standing up to him but his opponent is older bigger and more confident the body slam is used to communicate dominance without having to resort to more serious violence hmm [Laughter] the resident male has learned that dove hunting is a precise art it requires timing and technique and sometimes a little luck as well [Applause] there are some birds that no jackal will ever catch except perhaps when they're very young but ostriches are diligent parents they can outrun a jackal and one kick from a powerful leg could kill aerial attack is harder to combat a martial eagle takes advantage of the chaos once grabbed the chick should be doomed but it's heavy unable to get airborne and with an adult ostrich bearing down on it the eagle releases its easy catch while the young ostrich is fortunate quezie seems fated to failure um but then there's an intriguing smell on the breeze it's not food it's more attractive than that [Music] this female is unattached she's nervous but she's interested too perhaps his luck is changing [Music] [Music] not far away another jackal is battling to keep possession of a carcass jackals can chase off and keep vultures at bay this individual though seems intimidated by the ever increasing numbers of these large scavenging birds the vulture's arrival will inform every scavenger within sight because the possibility of a meal nearby quezie and the young female home in on the descending birds quezie is at first submissive but suddenly he decides to take a stand he's maturing and perhaps the female has given him a reason to assert his dominance quezy takes over the carcass but he still lacks experience in dealing with vultures sensing his hesitation the birds crowd him out he has to be content with a mouthful one of the vultures is acting strangely the hyena isn't hungry it's only curious a vulture that doesn't fly is confusing and at the same time intriguing hyenas don't hunt vultures they don't usually get the opportunity neither do they often get the chance to play with anything so tantalizing amused the hyenas release their hold remarkably the vulture can still fly [Music] young female is coming into eastress for the first time it'll be a while though before she's ready to mate and for now rejects his advances another male is attracted by the female scent the courting pair are preoccupied and are slow to notice his presence has been the underdog for too long the time has come to fight for his rights the contest is vicious the stakes are high [Music] [Laughter] quasi no longer takes second place his rival is seriously wounded and may die of his injuries quezi has earned his dominant status and his mate by marking prominent bushes in the area quezie and his female stake a claim to their new territory from this day they will remain paired for life the female stands when quezie approaches it's a sign that she's now ready to mate after the previous confusing rebuttals quezie is unsure of what's expected he's slow to take his cue like dogs jackals tie after mating inexperienced and confused the young pair struggle to separate but older more mature individuals can remain tied for up to 20 minutes [Laughter] over the next few days they will mate several times the female is young but luckily she conceives in preparation for their forthcoming pups the pair dig several dens honey badgers are a threat the jackals must choose a den well away from the wanderings of these fearsome predators after a gestation of two months quez is female has had her pups jackals move dens regularly for safety having transferred two youngsters she returns for the third and last one once she's near the new den the pup has to complete the last leg on its own the female knows that the less activity there is around the den the better while the pups are young one of their parents usually stays nearby at this age the pups often sleep for short periods above ground but they'll stay close to the den entrance just in case honey badgers travel many kilometers every night and crisscross their territory during their continual search for food they've come across the jackals new den as the pups scurry below ground they reveal their whereabouts crazy is a way hunting for his new family but his mate hears her pups cries of distress [Music] considering the badge's reputation the young female is either very foolish or very brave surprised by the onslaught the honey badgers retreat unfortunately down the jackal's den frantic to save her first litter the female increases her efforts to drive the enemy away [Music] concerned the female returns to the den to check on her pups [Music] one has died it must have been killed during the battle quezo's calls alert the female to his return as first-time parents quezie and his mate have no helpers but hopefully they'll raise at least one of these pups so that it in turn can help them next year the danger has passed for quasi and his family for now the risks and the stakes are still high but for this year at least our jackals have beaten the odds [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: Our World

Views: 40,579

Keywords: wildlife, wildlife documentary, natural history, earth, environment, documentary, documentaries, animals, nature, animal documentary, full documentary, nature documentary, planet earth, our world, wild animals, global warming, climate change, natural habitats, our planet

Id: BDSy0maFrUc

Length: 49min 58sec (2998 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 12 2022