Voragan Jackals

Jackals on Vorago are curiously different from common jackals on other planes. They tend to be larger but thinner, and are more intelligent than common dogs.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Voragan jackals are about the size of a large greyhound, and almost as skinny. They have thin faces and tall pointed ears, and their mouths hang open in a mischevious smile when panting.

Growth Rate & Stages

Voragan jackals reproduce at the same rate as dogs, bearing litters of 4 to 7. They reach full size in about a year, but nobody knows exactly how long they live. Similar species can live up to 20, but nobody has ever tracked a jackal's full lifespan; they disappear after about 20 years, presumably dead.

Ecology and Habitats

Jackals will live in practically any environment; hot, cold, wet, dry. They do live in the full wilderness, but they are most populous on the outskirts of inhabited areas.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Jackals are obligate carnivores, but that doesn't stop them from eating whatever else seems tasty. They typically eat small animals, but are also quite happy to eat dried fish, sheep, or pies cooling on windowsills. They are especially notorious for eating carcasses; they seem to be their favorite food. Indeed, they seem to especially savor the carcasses of sapient species like humans, and are said to be able to smell a fresh dead body from miles away.

Behaviour

Jackals are very intelligent and like to learn the behavior of the other most intelligent animals they encounter, sapient bipeds (humans, halflings, etc). They will observe the daily activity of a village or of travellers along their stretch of highway, the location of their pantries and livestock, and the behavior of their domesticated dogs. With this knowledge they will sometimes learn to beg (or steal) from the sentient races, occasionally someone will humor them, and they will become more confident. In some settlements they are as common as stray dogs, but there is at least one "town jackal" in every town. These town jackals are regarded as dirty and shoo'ed away from porches and children, and sometimes even run out of town. While starving wild jackals will sometimes attack humans, town jackals are generally quite tame and skittish; some anecdotes record them submitting to curious petting from toddlers before their parents find them and whisk them away.
This domesticity is curious, considering jackals' well recorded love for human carcass meat. Criminals will sometimes leave dead bodies (or parts of them) outside for jackals to devour, and they are always fully picked clean by morning. This is partially why they are considered dirty; the presence of jackals is a sign of death.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Jackals have keen senses of smell and hearing, like a dog. Many of them seem to be able to discern and understand Common, though it's never been confirmed and they certainly can't speak it.

Origin/Ancestry

Multiple different planes

Lifespan

Unknown, assumed to be around 20 years

Conservation Status

Jackals are very common in most biomes, including rural farmland. They are not going extinct any time soon.