The African Wild Dog, otherwise known as the Painted Dog, is a wild canine species native to Africa. The wild dog is infamous for it’s colorful coat, often painted with varying shades of browns, blacks, and whites. No two dogs are the same, each of them having their own unique set of markings. Unlike their fellow wild canines, the African Wild Dog’s ears are large and round. The end of their tails are white and bushy, making it useful for them to communicate within their packs. They average in roughly 3ft in length and 49lbs in weight, and usually have a lifespan of 7 years in the wild. Despite their name, African Wild Dogs are not dogs, nor are they wolves. Unfortunately, this canine species is currently endangered, with their population only within the low thousands in recent years. The largest cause of the wild dog’s dwindling numbers is habitat loss, as well as being hunted for meat and disease.
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Being carnivores, an average wild dog’s diet consists of primarily meat. They often hunt in groups, their cooperation making many of their trips successful. They hunt for a variety of prey, but animals such as gazelles and antelopes seem to be the most common. Wild Dogs are infamous for their unique hunting approaches, where they even differ per prey, making their approach towards accessing food a key topic in discussion about them.
African Wild dogs are infamous for their social nature and intelligence. They live in packs, where a distinct social structure is established. Within this social structure there is often a dominant pair, which is likely monogamous. This monogamous pair usually consists of an alpha male and female. These two are usually the ones who will provide the pups within the pack. These packs have range from 15, to almost 100 members; with their dwindling numbers though, packs have started to decrease in size. Wild dogs are known to have strong social bonds, stronger than their fellow predators. Both males and females will care for the ill, wounded, and young, and never show aggression towards one another. In fact, they don't fight over food, and instead beg as if to ask permission. Additionally, they allow the younger members of the pack to eat first.
As stated before, Painted Dogs hunt in packs. They depend on heavy cooperation, and have been shown to excel at it. When hunting, wild dogs will follow their prey for long periods of time, waiting for it to grow tired before catching it. With this tactic, many of their hunting pursuits end up successful. They can communicate through a variety of sounds, usually high in pitch, in and out of hunting settings. Additionally, it has been discovered that they will vote on their hunting trips through sneezing.
As the name implies, African Wild Dogs are native to Africa. They are often found around the country in forests, deserts, and grasslands. They generally are found in areas similar to savannahs, and avoid anything heavily forested. This preference is likely linked to the animal's hunting habits, which require open areas that do not obstruct vision or impede pursuit. Although, forest-dwelling populations of African wild dogs have been identified, including one in the Harenna Forest. Genreally though, in their most common habitats, wild dogs will roam around rather than stay in one area.
Due to their endangered status, many wildlife organizations are making an effort to raise awareness and help the African Wild Dog's population. In doing this, they are encouraging the general public to support in whatever ways they can. The most common approach is through donations, that way the organizations can use the money to further improve the status of the species' population. A fairly popular way of donating is "adopting" a wild dog, which many of these groups will often offer online. With those donations and adoptions, some groups will give you physical comfirmation of doing this. You can find out more information through your own local wildlife organization, and possibly even your local zoo.
