Lupulella mesomelas Female Skull Replica measures 4.2 inches. Male Skull is 6.8 in. Lupulella mesomelas Skulls are museum quality polyurethane cast. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Made in USA. Cast of an original California Academy of Sciences specimen. Known as Black-Backed Jackal.
The black-backed jackal or Lupulella mesomelas is a canid native to two areas of Africa.
The black-backed jackal has occupied eastern and southern Africa for at least 2 to 3 million years, as shown by fossil deposits in Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa.
Specimens from fossil sites in Transvaal are almost identical to their modern counterparts, but have slightly different nasal bones.
Lupulella mesomelas is a fox-like canid with a slender body, long legs, and large ears.
It is similar to the closely related side-striped jackal and more distantly related to the golden jackal, though its skull and dentition are more robust and the incisors much sharper.
It weighs 13 to 29 lb., stands 15 to 19 in. at the shoulder, and measures 26.5 to 32.0 in. in body length.
Lupulella mesomelas base color is reddish brown to tan, which is particularly pronounced on the flanks and legs. A black saddle intermixed with silvery hair extends from the shoulders to the base of the tail.
A long, black stripe extending along the flanks separates the saddle from the rest of the body, and can be used to differentiate individuals.
The tail is bushy and tipped with black. The lips, throat, chest, and inner surface of the limbs are white. Lupulella mesomelas winter coat is a much deeper reddish brown. Albino specimens occasionally occur.
The hair of the face measures 10 to 15 mm in length, and lengthens to 30 to 40 mm on the rump. The guard hairs of the back are 60 mm on the shoulder, decreasing to 40 mm at the base of the tail. The hairs of the tail are the longest, measuring 70 mm in length.