[Animals] african dog

[WilkerCSBD]

Photographer and biologist Romi Castagnino introduces us to new animals captured on camera traps from around the world.
Although they belong to the canine family, African wild dogs are not wolves or dogs. They have their own gender.

The African wild dog is also known as the Cape hunting dog, the hyena dog, and the painted wolf. This last name is precisely associated with its scientific name, Lycaon pictus, and refers to the coloring of the animal's spotted coat. Red, black, brown, white and yellow spots are drawn along the body of the canid.

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A group life

Each animal has a unique color pattern, which makes it easy to identify and unlike other dogs, the African wild dog has four toes on its front legs instead of five.

In addition, they have long legs, a short muzzle, and large, rounded ears, which allow them to cope with heat stress.

african wild dog
African wild dogs live and hunt in groups. Photo: Rhette A. Butler
They used to live throughout sub-Saharan Africa, but have disappeared from most of their range. Its largest po[CENSORED]tions are found in the plains, savannas, and open forests of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, and Mozambique.

They are very social animals that form herds with more than 60 members. They live and hunt in groups that are often dominated by a monogamous pair.

African dogs feed on a wide variety of mammals, including small rodents and larger animals such as antelopes. Chasing their prey can last up to 2 km and dogs can reach speeds of up to 72 km / h.

They have a higher hunting success rate than lions and leopards. Instead of suffocating their prey like big cats do, they bite them until they stop running. However, if it is a smaller animal, they pull it in order to dismember it and consume it quickly to prevent hyenas from stealing it.

Dogs regurgitate food for other members of the pack that were left behind, such as puppies, injured dogs, or pregnant females. Since cubs are crucial to the future survival of the pack, everyone takes care of them.

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At risk of extinction
 

Unfortunately, African wild dogs are classified as Endangered with fewer than 6,000 individuals in the wild. Some factors that affect their po[CENSORED]tion are habitat loss, conflict with humans, getting caught in the traps that poachers set to hunt other species, and infectious diseases such as canine distemper and rabies.

african wild dog
African wild dogs are at risk of extinction. Photo. Rhett A. Buttler.
To protect this species it is recommended to create wildlife corridors that help connect their fragmented habitats and also reduce potential conflicts with humans.

In the next episode we will meet an animal from Central and South America that has several names: young lion, honey bear, mountain dog, night monkey, among others.

Tell us in the comments if you know what animal it is!

See you next week!