A 17-year-old amateur photographer has captured rare images of a black jackal in Israel’s Negev Desert, reigniting debate among wildlife experts and enthusiasts over the animal’s identity.
Yonatan Sikoler, a resident of the southern town of Meitar, photographed the animal Sunday after months of searching. The jackal was seen traveling with a small group of golden jackals.
“I’ve been hearing about the black jackal for years,” Sikoler said. “Many people have spotted it and shared their sightings, and I collected them. For the past few months I’ve been looking for it in the forest. I finally saw it and took the pictures.”
He said the animal was accompanied by three or four typical golden jackals before it fled. “It’s very timid,” he said.
Sikoler, who began photographing wildlife across Israel two years ago, said he now spends nearly every day hiking and shooting nature scenes. He shared the images on the Facebook group “Israel Wild Mammals,” where they drew wide attention.
The photos have prompted discussion among group members and experts over whether the animal is a jackal, a dog or a hybrid. Wildlife specialists say the animal is most likely a golden jackal with melanism, a genetic mutation that causes dark pigmentation.
“In wild animal populations, just like in humans, there’s genetic diversity,” said Dr. Yoav Perlman, an ecologist and director of the birding center at the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. “That diversity can include pigmentation anomalies such as leucism — white or partially white fur or feathers — and melanism. Based on the photos, this appears to be a melanistic individual.”
Though rare, such conditions are well-documented in a variety of mammal and bird species, Perlman said.
A 2023 Israeli study documented early signs of domestication in golden jackals in the country, including the case of a jackal in northern Israel that displayed traits commonly seen in domesticated animals. Researchers initially suspected the animal might be a jackal-dog hybrid. Because changes in fur color can indicate domestication, the researchers urged the public to report similar sightings to help advance their study.
A definitive conclusion about the black jackal in the Negev will require genetic testing, but experts say the sighting is extraordinary. For Sikoler, it marks a major milestone in his growing portfolio of wildlife photography.