What is "jackal"

Jackal \Jack"al`\, n. [Pers. shagh[=a]l: cf. OF. jackal, F. chacal; cf. Skr. [,c][.r]g[=a]la.]

1. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of several species of carnivorous animals inhabiting Africa and Asia, related to the dog and wolf. They are cowardly, nocturnal, and gregarious. They feed largely on carrion, and are noted for their piercing and dismal howling.

   Note: The common species of Southern Asia ( Canis aureus) is yellowish gray, varied with brown on the shoulders, haunches, and legs. The common African species ( Canis anthus) is darker in color.

2. One who does mean work for another's advantage, as jackals were once thought to kill game which lions appropriated. [Colloq.]
   --Ld. Lytton.

c.1600, from Turkish çakal, from Persian shaghal, from or cognate with Sanskrit srgala-s, literally "the howler." Figurative sense of "skulking henchman" is from the old belief that jackals stirred up game for lions.

n. 1 Any of several wild canine species, native to the tropical Old World, smaller than a wolf. 2 A person who performs menial/routine tasks, dogsbody 3 (context pejorative English) A person who behaves in an opportunistic way; especially a base collaborator. 4 (context slang rare English) A jack (the playing card.) vb. To perform menial or routine tasks

n. 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 [syn: Canis aureus]

The jackal is a small omnivorous mammal of the genus Canis, which also includes the wolf and dog. While the word "jackal" has historically been used for many small canids, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-backed jackal and side-striped jackal of sub-Saharan Africa, and the golden jackal of south-central Eurasia.

Jackals and coyotes (sometimes called the "American jackal") are opportunistic omnivores, predators of small- to medium-sized animals and proficient scavengers. Their long legs and curved canine teeth are adapted for hunting small mammals, birds, and reptiles, and their large feet and fused leg bones give them a physique well-suited for long-distance running, capable of maintaining speeds of for extended periods of time. Jackals are crepuscular, most active at dawn and dusk.

Their most common social unit is a monogamous pair, which defends its territory from other pairs by vigorously chasing intruding rivals and marking landmarks around the territory with their urine and feces. The territory may be large enough to hold some young adults, which stay with their parents until they establish their own territories. Jackals may occasionally assemble in small packs, for example, to scavenge a carcass, but they normally hunt either alone or in pairs.

The Jackal is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

The jackal is a small animal in the dog/wolf family of mammals.

Jackal may also refer to:

, also distributed under the title of Top Gunner, is an overhead run'n gun-style shoot-'em-up video game by Konami released for the arcades in . The player must maneuver an armed jeep in order to rescue prisoners of war (POWs) trapped in enemy territory.

Jackal, in comics, may refer to:

• Jackal (Marvel Comics), a mad scientist and enemy of Spider-Man in the Marvel Comics universe
• Jackal, a terrorist and enemy of Superman in the DC Comics universe

It may also refer to:

• Dr. Jackal, a character from the manga/anime GetBackers
• Jackalman, a character from the ThunderCats comics
• Red Jackal, a character from the G.I. Joe comics

The Jackal is a fictional character, the villain of the novel The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth. He is an assassin who is contracted by the OAS French terrorist group of the early 1960s, to kill Charles de Gaulle, the President of France. The book was published on 7 June 1971, in the year following de Gaulle's death, and became an instant bestseller. In the original 1973 film adaptation, he is portrayed by Edward Fox. A revised version of the character was portrayed by Bruce Willis in the 1997 remake, The Jackal, which had little in common with its original.

The Jackal or MWMIK (pronounced EmWimmick) or Mobility Weapon-Mounted Installation Kit is a family of vehicles designed and developed by Supacat Ltd at their factory in Honiton, Devon ( UK) for use by the British Army and Royal Air Force Regiment. Supacat re-branded to SC Group in September, the Supacat brand retained for the group's core defence business.

The primary role of the vehicle in the British Army is deep battlespace reconnaissance, rapid assault and fire support - roles where mobility, endurance and manoeuvrability are important - and it has also been used for convoy protection.

Small production runs are manufactured at the Honiton factory but larger batches are manufactured by Plymouth based company DML (part of Babcock Marine Services, owned by Babcock International Group). The initial order was for up to 100 and it was announced on June 27, 2008 that the MOD would be ordering a further 72. On Jun 23, 2010 it was announced by the Ministry of Defence that 140 additional Jackal 2 vehicles were being ordered, and according to the same source this would bring the number of Jackals in service up to 500.

The MWMIK can carry increased payload and fuel compared to its predecessor, allowing it to carry greater amounts of additional equipment and protection over longer distances, and it is able to support itself and its crew for distances of over .