Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing dingoes. Without a doubt dingoes are canids, but there’s debate about if they’re dogs. Currently, they’re classified as a subspecies of the grey wolf like the domestic dog, however, discussion suggests that dingoes should be classified as their own species. We’ll link to a video that talks about this more in depth at the end of this video if you want to learn more. Dingoes are some of the top predators of Australia. Unfortunately, they’re heading towards extinction.

They’re able to interbreed with feral dogs which has led to hybrids. The oldest known dingo remains from Australia show that these canids haven’t changed much over the past 3,500 years, however, they didn’t originate in Australia. While it’s not known where dingoes started or how they made their way to the Australian mainland, it is known they haven’t been there as long as some other Australian predators like the now extinct Thylacine, for example. For this reason, dingoes may not be considered a native species to Australia and thus don’t always get the protections afforded Australian animals.

Dingoes are also found in small populations throughout southeast Asia. Because dingoes are seen as a pest to ranchers, they’re persecuted by humans. Other predators to dingoes are birds of prey such as wedge tailed eagles who will snatch up dingo puppies.

Dingoes are pack animals that live throughout forests, plains, and desert and mountain regions. They travel upwards of 12 miles (19.3km) a day in groups consisting of about ten members with a dominant couple that leads the pack. Unlike dogs who can breed year round, dingoes have an approximately two month long mating season that begins in March in Australia and August in southeast Asia. Gestation takes 63 days and the pups are born in a den constructed from a rabbit hole, natural cave, or hollow log. Anywhere from one to ten pups may be born to a litter.

Like African wild dogs, the babies are cared for by other members of the pack, usually older siblings who haven’t left the group yet. The pups leave their den by 8 weeks of age and join the pack on outings. They are ready to begin breeding once two years old. Young adults may travel alone until they find a group to call their own, they may also form associations with other lone travelers to help bring down larger prey - especially during the non-mating season. In total, dingoes are known to live longer than a decade.

Another not so dog-like characteristic of dingoes is that their heads are wider than their shoulders. This ensures that they can squeeze through any space through which their heads can fit. They also don’t bark, but they do howl! Prey to dingoes include kangaroos and wallabies, but they also catch invasive animals like rabbits, rats, and foxes. Dingoes will scavenge carcasses if given the opportunity and consume fruit, nuts, and grains. They may even try their luck at catching an echidna, but this doesn’t usually end well for the dingo. They also may eat babies. In size, dingoes can reach four feet (120cm) in length, two feet (60cm) in height, and more than 30 pounds (13.6kg) in weight - though females are smaller than males.

For more information on dingo classification and how they measure up to dogs we recommend the video “are dingoes dogs?” by Wicked Wildlife here on YouTube. You can also check out our links in the description to learn more. Thank you to Steam, Gregory, and Slashmonster for today’s request! Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!