Dhole

The dhole (Cuon alpinus) is a species of wild dog of the Canidae family. It is also known as the Asiatic Wild Dog. Other known names include the Indian wild dog, the red dog, the Asiatic Dog, and the Whistling Hunter (due to
The dhole is, generally, most active in the early morning and evening, and sometimes at night.

Three geographical races are believed to exist. These places are the peninsular, Himalayan and trans-Himalayan.

The dhole can live to 16 years in captivity, though 10 are common in the wild.

Habitat

The dhole exploits a large variety of habitats, reflecting its adaptability. It normally inhabits dry and moist deciduous forests and thick jungles. It is also found in tropical rain forests, which provide better cover for hunting. It inhabits areas of primary, secondary, degraded, evergreen, and semi-evergreen forms of vegetation, and dry thorn forests, as well as scrub-forest mosaics. It can also survive in dense alpine forests, meadows and on the open steppes of Kashmir and Manchuria. The dhole inhabits in the widest range of climates in the canid family. They can adjust from freezing cold to tropical heat, but is not recorded in deserts.

Factors that influence habitat include water, the presence of other large predators (competition), sufficient prey (plentiful medium to large ungulate prey species), local human population, and suitable breeding sites.

Physical description

Head and body length range from 35 to 45 inches (83 to 133cm). Northern populations are around 20% longer. Its tail length is 11 to 20 inches (28 to 50 cm). The shoulder height is 16 to 21 in (42 to 55cm). Females weigh in at 22.05 to 35.27 lbs (10 to16 kg), while males average 30.86 to 44.09 lbs (14 to 20 kg).

The dhole is about the size of a collie, and is similar to the dingo and golden jackal. Its coat is usually a uniformly rusty red hue, but varies regionally from sandy, creamy yellow through red and brown to dark gray. Sometimes it is grizzled. Generally, the dhole has a black-tipped tail, though sometimes white or brown or gray. It has a moderately bushy tail, a darker area on its back, and white or pale patches on its chest, paws and belly. Its large ears (about half the length of the face) are rounded with white on the inside. Its legs are short, and its eyes are slightly hooded and have amber irises. The dhole has sixteen teats, reflecting its ability to care for many young. It has four toes on each paw. It has fur between the toes, which are red, brown, and/or white. The fore-toe pads are hairless, and are joined at the base near the main pad, unlike most domestic dogs. The jaw is thick, blunt, relatively short, slightly convex in profile, and very square.

Diet

The dhole is an omnivore. Its prey is usually deer, but also wild boar, red muntjac deer, wild goats, wild sheep, Nilgai mountain sheep, water buffalo, hares, caribou, reindeer, gaur and sometimes monkeys. On occasion, it will try for large creatures like the banteng, a large bovid. Dholes prefer prey between 68.34 and 385.8 lb (31 and 175 kg) in weight. Also, the dhole may consume wild berries, insects, rodents, East Asian porcupine, and lizards. In India, the dhole’s favorite prey animal is the medium-sized axis deer. Occasionally they consume grasses and other plants. They are said to feed on the fallen fruit of black wood and bale trees.

Hunting

Although the dhole is not a fast runner, it has great stamina. It will pursue prey for hours, though not always to exhaustion. Most chases are less than a few hundred yards in length. It is an excellent swimmer. It will often drive its prey into water, surrounding the animal and swimming out in teams to perform the capture. The dhole is capable of killing prey ten times its own size, and will defend kills very violently. The dhole is mainly a crepuscular forager. During hunts, some dholes may lie in ambush, while others drive prey in their direction.

Sometimes several families unite in order to hunt larger animals. The dhole seldom kills by tearing out the throat. Larger mammals are attacked from behind and swiftly disemboweled, and smaller ones are caught by any part of the body and killed by a quick blow to the head. Often, a dhole pack will start on prey before it is even dead.

After meals (during which a couple of dholes act as look-outs, wary for leopards and tigers who could kill them or steal their kill, and humans also), they race to a water site. If the water is near their kill, dholes will leave their food for a small drink of water.

Dhole packs compete for food, not by fighting, but by how fast they can consume it. An adult dhole can eat up to 8.8 lb (4 kg) of meat in one hour. When as a pack it can subdue prey over ten times its own body weight. It can even attack leopards, the Indian bison, and tigers. Sometimes, however, the dhole prefers to hunt in a pair or singly. They hunt well in open fields and in thick forest.

Dholes only scavenge in times of food shortage, especially during the dry season. They will return to prey remains three or four days after the animal was brought down. Dholes have been recorded consuming elephant carrion, and may steal the kills of other species.

Vocalization

The dhole has some extraordinary vocal calls. It can make high-pitched screams, mew, hiss, squeak, yelp, chatter, and cluck like a chicken. Growl-barks and other noises alert pack-mates to danger. The large range of calls like these may have evolved to warn companions of different dangers. Calls also act as threats to scare off enemies. Its best-known sound is its strange whistle. These calls are used for contact within the pack. The repetitive whistles are so distinct that individual dholes can be identified by it, and the source is easily located. Whistles travel well at ground level due to their frequency and structure.