The African wild dog is a highly social canid native to sub-Saharan Africa, easily recognized by its irregular, mottled coat of black, brown, yellow and white patches, no two individuals alike, and its large rounded ears. It lives and hunts in tight-knit packs led by a dominant breeding pair, cooperating closely to run down prey such as antelope over long chases, a technique that gives the species one of the highest hunting success rates of any large predator. Packs care communally for pups, with adults regurgitating food for young and injured pack members, and cohesive pack structure is essential to the species survival, since lone individuals rarely thrive. Once found across most of sub-Saharan Africa, the African wild dog has suffered severe range contraction and population decline due to habitat fragmentation, conflict with farmers, disease transmitted from domestic dogs and competition with lions and hyenas, and it is now one of Africa most endangered large carnivores, with only a few thousand individuals remaining in fragmented populations.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Living or ExtinctDerived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status (w-bfill-g5-0924 browse backfill). Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceThe bulkiest and most solidly built of the African canids, carrying an extremely variable, often asymmetrical mottled coat pattern that lets individuals recognize each other at a distance. 1 Scientific Name Conservation Status Population Estimate Connections
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Africa, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Botswana, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Namibia, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Zimbabwe, found in there.
Sources
1. African Wild Dog (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction, first sentence
The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), also called painted dog and Cape hunting dog, is a wild canine native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Description section, coat pattern
Colour variation is extreme, and may serve in visual identification, as African wild dogs can recognise each other at distances of 50-100 m (160-330 ft).
Conservation status section
As the largest subpopulation probably consists of fewer than 250 individuals, the African wild dog has been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1990.
Population section
An estimated 6,600 adults (including 1,400 mature individuals) live in 39 subpopulations, all threatened by habitat fragmentation, human persecution, and outbreaks of disease.
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: African wild dog
system (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
The African wild dog is a specialized hunter of terrestrial ungulates, mostly hunting at dawn and dusk, but it also displays diurnal activity.
system (entity description states it plainly, diet)
Once found across most of sub-Saharan Africa, the African wild dog has suffered severe range contraction and population decline due to habitat fragmentation, conflict with farmers, disease transmitted from domestic dogs and competition with lions and hyenas, and it is now one of Africa most endangered large carnivores, with only a few thousand individuals remaining in fragmented populations.
View the SourceWikidata: African Wild Dog
Wikidata Q173651, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Catalogue of Life
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeChild Taxon Of: CanidaeView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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