What a Jackal will Tackle

Black-backed Jackals have a varied diet. They’re not just scavengers, especially in an area like the Makgadikgadi where alpha predators are few and far between. This jackal was digging and pouncing on something very tiny in the long grass, early in the morning with its coat tipped with dew:

I made a video of it in action, but it’s almost impossible to see any details, so I captured a couple of stills from the video. At the very start, it catches what I suspect was a beetle, carries it off (here) and then lies down to eat it.

At the end, it catches what looks like something small, dark and furry:

Here’s the video (with long slow sections excised!):

Tiny morsels, but hopefully enough to keep body and soul together.