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African, or Cape hunting dog - LYCAON PICTUS
Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Dog": "Dog" comes from the Old English word for the animal, "daga."
Location: Sub-Saharan Africa, except forested areas.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Savanna.
Description: The African hunting dog is the same size and shape as a large dog, but its mottled coloring and large ears make it unmistakable. The head is large and resembles that of a hyena. The muzzle is black and the forehead has a black line in the middle. The legs are long and slender, and the feet have only four toes. The coat pattern is never the same in any two African hunting dogs. The tail has a white plume at the tip. The head and body is about 40 inches long and the tail, 12 to16 inches. They weigh up to 66 pounds.
Behavior: This dog lives in large packs of five to twenty animals, sometimes as many as fifty. It is one of the most efficient of all predators, and will attack victims of all sizes, from large elands to small hares. Its organized method of hunting enables it to bring down its prey quickly, sometimes in a few seconds. The prey is fed upon, sometimes while still alive, and may be entirely consumed within a few minutes.
Reproduction: After a 72-day gestation as many as 12 pups may be born in a litter, but usually only a few survive. The whole pack feeds the young by regurgitating food for them. Those that do survive achieve independence gradually, and remain with the pack as adults. The den is made in the ground.
Go to the Carnivora Page to learn more about the all the meat-eating animals.
Or go to the Dog Index to study other
wild dogs.
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