The african wild dog power pack
The African wild dogs intensely close pack structure is its greatest strength, making the pack a force to be reckoned with.
Wild dogs are the most efficient hunters in Africa. They are successful 80% of the time in bringing down antelope, pig, and massive prey such as zebra and wildebeast that may easily be 10 times the size of an individual dog.
After the hunt, the meal is freely distributed to pups, the nursing mom, and the sick, old or injured.
Although they make a tremendous amount of noise and may scream and squabble, African wild dogs are rarely aggressive with each other. In fact, it is often a race to submission rather than dominance, with each dog giving the other a wide-lipped grin, bowing their heads low and “ha- ha” or “huffing” in reverance.
The wild dog pack is extremely tight-knit and works as a big, well-oiled machine because of this harmony.
They build up each others confidence with group “rallies” where they trot about shoulder to shoulder, tails held high, jostling and mouthing each other, definitely similar to wolves, but also to football players before the big game.
With the right numbers on their side, they will take on some of the largest land predators in the world, including hyenas and African lions, surrounding and tormenting their foe with a circle of grimacing determination.
Wild dogs dont generally kill these big adversaries, although there are accounts of them doing so.
Usually though, the plan is just to gain whatever the larger animal had in its possesion, or drive it from their territory,. – African Wild Dog Facts
Within the pack generally only the dominant male and female, called the Alpha pair, will reproduce.
After a six week pregnancy the Alpha female will find a safe place, often an abandoned aardvark den, where she may deliver up to 20 puppies in a single litter – the most in the canine kingdom!
More commonly about 10 puppies are born. The entire pack helps in the rearing of this one litter. In the world of wild dogs it is the submissive animal who can most fervently beg that tends to eat first.
Food is distributed to the youngest pack members and sometimes the Alpha pair are actually be the last dogs to eat. The pack will settle down for several weeks while the pups are growing, going out to hunt twice a day and bringing food back in thier bellies which they will regurgitate for the mother and pups to eat.
At some point, however, in a strange twist, the mother will join in the hunts – being the Alpha female with lots of experience- and several designated “babysitters, usually males, will stay behind.
Because the entire pack contributes to the raising of one large litter of puppies a year, African wild dog puppies catch on quick, and may be seen out hunting with the pack by the time they are 6 months old. – African Wild Dog Facts
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Female African wild dogs are often larger than males, and many male/female roles in the pack structure are reversed.
Although the pack most often hunts together, when the Alpha female has a young litter, it is usually a small group of adult males that will remain back at the den with her, tending to the many pups, while a hunting party of swift and powerful females set out first thing in the morning, and then again in late afternoon to procure the two meals a day the pack enjoys.
But in one of the most unique role reversals, small groups of young females wean away from the pack to form a new pack of their own, or join a pack whose females have also left, while the majority of young males stay with the pack their entire lives, dutifully tending to the needs of another males puppies. Amazing! – African Wild Dog Facts
Cricket?Owl?Dolphin? No…Just an African Wild Dog!
The African wild dog is an incredibly vocal animal emitting squeaks, chirps and hoots reminiscent of many common birds, but they make very few of the sounds created by the more familiar dog species we may have overheard.
They really do not bark at all, and instead of howling in the night, a separated wild dog looking for the pack makes a “hoo” noise which sounds almost exactly like an owl!
While hunting and feeding, the pack chirps and squeals like a flock of small birds, or a noisy pod of dolphins! They also make many cackling noises similiar to hyenas – although there is no relation.- African Wild Dog Facts
Almost all animals are driven to play as youngsters, practicing fight or flight techniques that will make them successful adults.
Even without siblings or friends to experiment with, youngsters who grow up alone, like certain antelope, bear or cat species, will entertain themselves all day long with imaginative play.
As most animals mature, however, play is replaced by the actual activities they once practiced and, especially with animals whose destiny after leaving their mothers side is to live a solitary life, with only occasional interaction for breeding purposes, the urge to play may simply fade away.
But many canine species maintain high levels of play and joyful interaction with no real purpose all through their adult lives leading to mature animals that are full of curiosity and richness of character – African Wild Dog Facts
Why do African wild dogs matter?
They hunt for a wide variety of prey, including gazelles and other antelopes, warthogs, wildebeest calves, rats, and birds. Like most predators, they play an important role in eliminating sick and weak animals, thereby helping maintain the natural balance and improve prey species.
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Highly intelligent, a successful predator and very social – the African wild dog surely is one of the index species in the African savannah. In our blog post you can learn more about the fascinating mammal
Highly intelligent, a successful hunter and very social – the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) is surely one of the most characteristic species in the African savannah or dry areas. Their main area of distribution is in Kenia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and the Kruger National Park in South Africa. With a body height between 60 and 75 cm and an average weight of 20 to 25 kg the African wild dog is a rather small representative of the canid’s family. In other languages the species is sometimes called “hyaena dog” because the shape and colour (a black colouring with red, brown or yellow spots) is similar to the hyaena which is also common in Africa. Gazelles, impalas and warthogs, but also rodents and birds are hunted as prey by the African wild dog. Most of the time the packs hunt down elderly or sick animals which is why the African wild dog is an important member of the ecosystem.
The African wild dog is living in packs and is characterized by its social behaviour and the strong hierarchy among the individuals. Every pack is led by a dominant alpha couple which is responsible for reproduction. The other members of the pack which are usually infertile due to a change of their hormones take care of the offspring. Despite the clear hierarchy, there are only few rivalries within the pack. The behaviour of the wild dogs rather shows obedience, altruism and a will to share, so that conflicts occur only seldom. By the way: If the hierarchy of the pack changes and a new alpha couple has the lead, they gain back their ability to reproduce.
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) has listed the African wild dog as highly endangered. Especially due to the loss of habitat and disturbance by humans (for example through traps and poaching) their numbers have rapidly decreased in the past years. In 1997, around 5000 wild dogs were living in Africa, since then the population is estimated to have decreased even more.
As humans push further and further into the habitat of wild dogs and therewith restrict it, protective areas and monitoring of the packs is essential to ensure the consistency of the species. Natucate supports monitoring projects which are – in comparison to ineffective breeding projects – of much greater importance for the sustainable conservation of the African wild dog. As a participant in our volunteer project in South African Zululand you can actively contribute to protecting endangered wild dogs. Furthermore, lots of our trips, such as a safari in Zambia or Botswana, give you the chance to observe these fascinating animals in the wild.
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