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African Wild Dog

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Mammals

                iAfrican Wild Dog

                             Conservation status

   Endangered (EN)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Mammalia
   Order:   Carnivora
   Family:  Canidae
   Genus:   Lycaon
            Brookes, 1827
   Species: L. pictus

                                Binomial name

   Lycaon pictus
   Temminck, 1820

   The African Wild Dog, Lycaon pictus also known as the African Hunting
   Dog, Cape Hunting Dog or Painted Hunting Dog , is a mammal of the
   Canidae family, and thus related to the domestic dog. It is the only
   species in monotypic genus, Lycaon, and the only species in the canid
   family to lack dewclaws on the forelimbs. They are, as their name
   indicates, found only in Africa, especially in scrub savanna and other
   lightly wooded areas. The Latin name of the species means painted wolf
   and it is characteristic of the species that no two individuals have
   the same pattern of coat. The pelage is an irregular pattern of black,
   yellow, and white. Some areas of the body are nearly hairless, and the
   skin is black.
   An African Wild Dog gnawing on a bone
   Enlarge
   An African Wild Dog gnawing on a bone

   African Wild Dogs hunt in packs. Their main prey are impala and similar
   medium sized ungulates. They're known for their stamina and for being
   clever hunters; they have been observed hunting prey in relays, or even
   blocking a potential escape route for prey. As a result, African Wild
   Dogs enjoy the highest kill per hunt rate of predators on the savannah
   (up to 98%). Members of a hunting pack vocalize to help coordinate
   their movements. Their voice is characterized by an unusual chirping or
   squeaking sound, similar to a bird. After a hunt, dogs will often
   regurgitate meat for members of the group that have stayed behind,
   including the old, the lame, the pups, and subordinate adults who have
   taken on the responsibility of caring for the pups. Their need for a
   large territory has led to the situation where today they are
   threatened with extinction. Their relatively small physique also makes
   them vulnerable to attacks by their competitors, lions and hyenas. The
   dogs are also killed by livestock herders and game hunters. They tend
   to be elusive and unlike most other members of the dog family, are
   extremely difficult to tame.

   They have a highly complex social system, within which related adult
   members cooperate to produce a single litter of pups annually. The
   breeding female occupies a den while she bears the pups, usually
   selecting an abandoned aardvark burrow for this purpose. Most
   populations have more males than females because more male pups appear
   in litters. It is very unusual among mammals to have this kind of
   gender bias. Females are more likely to disperse from the natal group,
   and they readily join packs which have no sexually mature female
   members. In packs with more than one female, only one will be allowed
   to breed, leading to vicious rivalry between females.
   African Wild Dog seen in Kalahari National Park, Botswana
   Enlarge
   African Wild Dog seen in Kalahari National Park, Botswana

   The current estimate for remaining wild dogs in the wild is
   approximately 5,600. Of these, the majority live in the two remaining
   large populations associated with the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania
   and the population centered in northern Botswana and eastern Namibia.
   Isolated populations persist in Zambia, Kenya, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and
   South Africa.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Wild_Dog"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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