ˈdʒækəl Old World nocturnal canine mammal closely related to the dog; smaller than a wolf; sometimes hunts in a pack but usually singly or as a member of a pair a jackal native to Europe and Asia with a golden coat a canid living in the deserts of Northern Africa related to the golden jackal and the grey wolf a jackal native to Africa with a black back a jackal native to Southern Africa with a stripe down its side