Animal Fact Sheet
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African Wild Dog
Lycaon pictus
What does it look
like?
The African wild dog, sometimes known as the Cape hunting dog, is
quite different from the familiar domestic dog or gray wolf. It
has highly specialized sharp sheering teeth, large round ears and
only four toes on its front feet rather than five. Each wild dog
has its own unique markings of yellow, black, brown and white. Its
tail is bushy ending in a white tip and its muzzle is black. It
weighs from 40 to 80 pounds and stands 30 inches high at the shoulder.
Only the dominant male and female cock one hind leg while urinating.
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| Habitat
Wild dogs require immense amounts of territory and packs range across
areas of 200 to 700 square miles. Dogs occupy many different kinds
of habitat but prefer open woodlands and plains. Dogs use aardvark
and warthog dens for shelter.
Social Life
As social hunters, African wild dogs have an unusual pack system.
The pack, usually seven to ten adults, consists of males who are
related to each other and females who are related to each other;
the male and females, however, are not related. Only the dominant
male and female usually breed, with the females bearing litters
that average ten pups. All adults help raise the pups, feeding them
regurgitated food. When pups reach 3 months, they start to travel
with the adults. Pups usually feed first then the dominant pair.
Males have been known to raise the pups when females die. Both sexes
leave the pack when one to two years old.
Predators
Hyenas prey upon pups.
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Feeding
African wild dogs are almost exclusively carnivorous and hunt various
types of antelopes and small mammals. Their short muzzles and sharp
teeth slice through their prey efficiently. In the Serengeti region,
their main prey is Thompson’s gazelles and wildebeest and
in Zimbabwe, impala and kudu. It is not uncommon for the dogs to
lose their catch to hyenas and lions. They are diurnal and can eat
11 pounds of meat at one sitting.
African wild dogs
and Man
Due to the large home ranges, African wild dogs are especially vulnerable
to habitat destruction and direct persecution. Human encroachment
also brings domestic dogs in contact with wild dogs, transmitting
diseases such as distemper and rabies to wild dogs. A century ago
packs contained 100 individuals living together. Today pack size
over 30 is rare. Despite protective laws, the dogs are still shot
by herders seeking to protect their livestock. These animals fall
under the category of the Species Survival Plan (SSP). The population
is estimated to be between 2,000 and 5,000 individuals. Zoos are
developing in-situ management programs for wild dogs in their home
ranges. |
