The African wild dogs

eat only meat.

Carnivores, African
wild dogs will eat a
variety of antelope,
including duiker,
reedbuck, and
impala, as well as
Thomsons gazelle,
wildebeest, and the
occasional zebra.


To bring down their
prey, they hunt in
packs. During
mornings and early
evenings, the pack
searches for food
within its home
rangean area of up
to 900 sq. miles.
Unlike some other
carnivores, African
wild dogs feed
peacefully after a hunt
and all members share
in the feast.
The African wild dog has
large, rounded ears, which
help to keep track of pack
members by picking up
long distance vocal calls,
and probably also help
with heat loss. It has a short
broad muzzle and powerful
jaw muscles that allow it to
grab and hang on to its
prey. Its multicolored coat
helps it to blend in with its
habitat.


The African wild dog
has no specified area
of where it live it
typically roams the
open plains and
sparse woodlands of
sub-Saharan Africa.
If they are present, the
pups are allowed to feed
first at a kill. Members of
the pack will regurgitate
food to feed those that
stayed at the den, such
as those left watching
pups and any old, sick or
injured dogs that cannot
keep up. A pack only has
a home base whilst
rearing the young. For the
rest of the year, they
roam, usually not staying
in the same place for
more than a day.


African wild dogs exhibit a
very unusual social system -
within their packs, dogs of
the same sex are closely
related to each other but
not to individuals of the
opposite sex. There are
separate dominance
hierarchies for each gender.
Females disperse from their
birth pack as a group when
mature, whilst males dont
usually leave the pack in
which they were born. They
form strong social bonds and
interact regularly,
communicating by touch,
actions and vocalizations.

A pack consists of any group of wild dogs with a potentially reproductive
pair. Packs are typically composed of related females, related males, and
pups. If a pack contains more than two adults, the reproductive pair
consists of the dominant male and female. Usually only the dominant pair
breeds and subordinate members help care for pups. The breeding female
selects a den site such as an abandon aardvark hole and contours the
underground chamber prior to giving birth. The average litter size is about
8 pups. When pups are about three weeks old, they appear above ground
pug-nosed with black and white hair, and small ears that readily develop
to oversized proportions. Yellow markings begin to appear at four weeks.
Babysitters keep an eye on them while other family members hunt and
return to the den to regurgitate food. Pups are moved to different dens
during the season. When pups are around 1012 weeks old, packs resume
their nomadic way of life. By the time the pups are about 4 months old, as
shown here, they are already familiar with what is expected of them as
members of the pack.
African wild dogs live in
packs that are usually
dominated by a
monogamous breeding
pair. The female has a litter
of 2 to 20 pups, which are
cared for by the entire
pack. These dogs are very
social, and packs have
been known to share food
and to assist weak or ill
members. Social
interactions are common,
and the dogs
communicate by touch,
actions, and vocalizations.
African wild dogs hunt in
formidable, cooperative
packs of 6 to 20 (or more)
animals. Larger packs were
more common before the
dogs became endangered.
Packs hunt antelopes and will
also tackle much larger prey,
such as wildebeests,
particularly if their quarry is ill
or injured. The dogs
supplement their diet with
rodents and birds. As human
settlements expand, the dogs
have sometimes developed a
taste for livestock, though
significant damage is rare.
Unfortunately, they are often
hunted and killed by farmers
who fear for their domestic
animals.
African hunting dogs are
endangered. They are faced
with shrinking room to roam in
their African home. They are
also quite susceptible to
diseases spread by domestic
animals.

These long-legged canines have
only four toes per foot, unlike other
dogs, which have five toes on their
forefeet. The dog's Latin name
means "painted wolf," referring to the
animal's irregular, mottled coat,
which features patches of red, black,
brown, white, and yellow fur. Each
animal has its own unique coat
pattern, and all have big, rounded
ears.