Abstract
BLACKBACKED jackals (Canis mesomelas) are one of the few mammalian species to have long-term pair bonds and to exhibit a tendency for some offspring to help in the provisioning and guarding of subsequent litters. Bonded pairs of adults were studied for 28 months over 3½ years at Lake Ndutu, Serengeti Plain, Tanzania. In the 15 litters observed, families with helpers had significantly higher offspring survivorship.
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MOEHLMAN, P. Jackal helpers and pup survival. Nature 277, 382–383 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/277382a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/277382a0
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