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Scientific Information about Jackodiles
8 years ago
Updates on the Jackodile Registry! Scientific Information About Jackodiles:
The Jackodile (Crococanis niloticus) is an African reptilian canid that exists primarily along the Nile River but can be found worldwide near a water source. Jackodiles spend most of their lives near bodies of water but have been known to range on land for weeks at a time.
The jackodile earned it’s name due to the visible mixture of canidae and crocodilian features. Jackals being the primary canid of the region made them the primary candidate for a mixed nomenclature.
Jackodile life spans are difficult to track as they are incredibly long lived, some individuals have been documented through local folklore to have lived for at least 500 years.
Jackodiles seldomly reproduce so information about mating habits is unavailable.
Jackodiles are versatile warm blooded apex predators. They are capable of taking down animals up to 4 times their mass, often hunting alone, but equally comfortable in a pack. Jackodiles are carnivorous, they can go several weeks without eating, and prefer fresh meat but will scavenge when food is scarce.
Their skin has integumentary sense organs that may react to changes in water pressure, allowing individuals to track prey movements in water.
Jackodiles are covered in scales and fur patterned after their chosen environment for camouflage. Young jackodiles are grey and during the first 10 years of maturation their pelts acclimatize to their environment. Adult jackodiles do not change color, and so ranging jackodiles are easy to spot and often they stay in their selected location. Certain individuals may have thicker fur while others have no thickness at all.
Jackodile irides are bright yellow with slit pupils. The eyelids can be variations of orange, yellow, brown, or red. The eyeball is a dark blue. Below the eyelid exists a nictitating membrane often used to protect the eye while underwater.
Jackodile tongues are forked and may vary in color. The forked tongues are used similarly to other reptiles to sense the direction of smell while tracking prey. Jackodiles have sharply pointed, cone-shaped teeth.
Jackodiles can recycle oxygen efficiently allowing them to stay submerged for up to 1 hour.
Animals of this species have large powerful tails meant to propel themselves through water. Jackodiles may or may not have tufts of fur at the end of their tails. This tail also serves as a powerful whip when defending territory. Jackodile claws are formidable and quite sharp, often used for burrowing along water banks while sleeping, escaping the heat, or anticipating prey.
Jackodiles are sexually dimorphic. Males are generally 40% larger than females. Females average 2.5 m to 3.5 m in length. Males average 4.5 m to 5.5 m in length. Half of a jackodile’s length is in their tail, they are capable of standing and walking on two legs, but equally comfortable on all fours.
Jackodiles are an extremely aggressive and territorial species. The hierarchy of the packs are dependent on age and strength. Packs of varying sizes have been observed, ranging from two to 24 members.
Mythology for species: Egyptian mythology states they are the offspring of Ammit and Anubis. Believed to act as vengeance for an angry spirit whose body was not properly buried or had been disturbed. Jackodiles have been worshipped by many generations of tribal people of varying faiths who consider them guardians of the Nile River. Jackodiles have appeared described in many religions, but were first recorded in the Egyptian pantheon.