Those raised by humans can live up to 15 years. Dingoes live to around six years old in the wild.Male dingoes are bigger than female dingoes.Dingo’s bushy tails are 12 inches long.They can weigh anywhere between 21-43 pounds. Dingoes are up to 2 feet tall and 4 feet long.Although they are fierce, they are a necessary part of the ecosystem, curbing populations of wild rabbits, pigs, and cats, feral dogs, and kangaroos. People who care about the future of the dingo are looking for safe places in the wild, away from sheep and domestic dogs, to protect the dingo species. Several schemes have been set up to protect dingoes. Because dingoes are able to breed with other dogs they are in danger of becoming extinct as a pure species. The only real threat to the dingo is the domestic dog. They may occasionally be eaten by crocodiles, killed by other dingoes or dogs, or be shot at by farmers and ranchers, but otherwise they are pretty hardy! Dingo Threats Dingo Facts: Dingoes are the apex predator.ĭingoes are apex predators this means they do not have any natural predators. The dingo fence was completed in the 1920’s, and, at 3488 miles long, is the longest fence in the world. The Dingo Fenceĭingoes became so well-known for hunting and eating sheep and other farm animals that in the 1880’s it was decided to build a huge fence to keep dingoes out of the south-east of Australia.Īustralia is a very big country, and to completely fence off a sizeable part of it was a huge undertaking. Unlike the Asian dingoes, which are mostly vegetarian, Australian dingoes are terrific hunters, preying on animals such as rabbits, lizard, geese, wallabies, and even kangaroos! For smaller animals, dingoes hunt alone, usually at night, but for larger prey, they will hunt in packs. The video below shows some domesticated dingoes displaying their natural digging behaviour. Most scientists group both types of dog under the scientific name Canis lupus dingo. These animals share many physical characteristics with dingoes, notably the sounds that they make, their colour, size and flexible limbs. a wolf and a dingo could have pups), but generally don’t, because they are separated geographically.Ĭlosely related to dingoes are New Guinea singing dogs. The domestic dog is another grey wolf subspecies.Īnimal subspecies can interbreed (i.e. The dingo’s scientific name is Canis lupus dingo. The dingo is a member of the dog family, Canidae.ĭingoes are a subspecies of grey wolf (scientific name: Canis lupus). However, the dominant female will often kill the pups of other female dingoes in the pack, so only hers will survive. The pack all work together to protect the pups. The pups stay with their mother until they are six to eight months old. The female gives birth to 5-10 pups once a year in a den made in a cave or under a hollow log. To communicate, dingoes will howl to each other and leave scent markers, which protect their territory and aid in the mating process.īaby dingoes are called pups. Their ears always stick up.ĭingoes live together in packs of up to twelve dogs, with a male and female who lead the others. Other differences, such as length of fur and ears are present between dingoes. The dingo usually has golden or reddish fur, but sometimes you will find one that is brown or black. Dingo facts: Physical Traits and Family Life Dingoes have different coloured coats depending on where they live. Dingo habitat includes grasslands, rainforest, desert, mountains, and woodlands, but they are most commonly found in the Outback: a dry inland area where very few people live. Dingo Habitatĭingoes can be found in every state in mainland Australia (they are not present in Tasmania). Although there are still dingoes in Asia, they are primarily associated with Australia. It is thought that dingoes were brought to Australia by Asian travellers around 4,000 years ago. Let’s take a closer look at this tough canine … Although dingoes look similar to regular, medium-sized, bushy-tailed dogs, they are different in three interesting ways: 1) They have stronger jaws and sharper teeth, 2) They don’t bark instead, they howl to communicate, and 3) They are able to rotate their wrists and turn their heads 180 degrees. The dingo (also called a warrigal) is a wild dog that lives in Australia. Read on to learn more about this awesome Aussie apex predator… Did you know that the dingo is a subspecies of the grey wolf? This page contains dingo facts and information, and is part of our Australian Animals series.
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