What animal is Anubis associated with?

The story behind the answer

Jackal is correct. Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of mummification and the afterlife’s gatekeeper, was depicted as a jackal or a man with a jackal’s head. Because jackals roamed the desert edges and were often seen near cemeteries, Egyptians saw Anubis as a divine protector of graves. He’s usually shown in black, a color symbolizing both mummified flesh and the fertile rebirth of Nile silt.

Memory tip: link gods to their animals—Anubis: jackal (guards graves), Sobek: crocodile (river power), Horus: falcon (sky and kingship), Khepri: scarab beetle (sun’s rebirth). Picture a vigilant jackal standing watch over a tomb to remember Anubis’s role.