Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene – present (200,000–0 years BP)[1]
African wild dog in South Africa
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Carnivora
Family:
Canidae
Subfamily:
Caninae
Tribe:
Canini
Genus:
Lycaon
Species:
L. pictus
Binomial name
Lycaon pictus
(Temminck, 1820)[3]
African wild dog range according to the IUCN.
Extant (resident)
Probably extant (resident)
The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), also known as the painted dog or Cape hunting dog, is a wild canine native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest wild canine in Africa, and the only extant member of the genus Lycaon, which is distinguished from Canis by dentition highly specialised for a hypercarnivorous diet and by a lack of dewclaws.
It is estimated that there are around 6,600 adults (including 1,400 mature individuals) living in 39 subpopulations, all threatened by habitat fragmentation, human persecution and outbreaks of disease. 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.[2]
The species is a specialised diurnal hunter of terrestrial ungulates, which it captures by using its stamina and cooperative hunting to exhaust them. Its natural competitors are lions and spotted hyenas: the former will kill the dogs where possible whilst the latter are frequent kleptoparasites.[4] Like other canids, the African wild dog regurgitates food for its young but also extends this action to adults as a central part of the pack's social unit.[5][4][6] The young have the privilege of feeding first on carcasses.
The African wild dog has been revered in several hunter-gatherer societies, particularly those of the San people and Prehistoric Egypt.
^Cite error: The named reference MN_R was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abWoodroffe, R. & Sillero-Zubiri, C. (2020) [amended version of 2012 assessment]. "Lycaon pictus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T12436A166502262. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T12436A166502262.en. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
^Temminck (1820), Ann. Gen. Sci. Phys., 3:54, pl.35
^ ab"African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus Temminck, 1820) - WildAfrica.cz - Animal Encyclopedia". Wildafrica.cz. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
^Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Whittington-Jones, Brendan (2015). African Wild Dogs: On the Front Line. Jacana. ISBN 978-1-4314-2129-9.
The Africanwilddog (Lycaon pictus), also known as the painted dog or Cape hunting dog, is a wild canine native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest...
and the Africanwilddog (Lycaon pictus). There was strong evidence of ancient genetic admixture between the dhole and the Africanwilddog. Today, their...
America or the Africanwilddog. The species is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN. In Brazil, it is called cachorro-vinagre ('vinegar dog') and cachorro-do-mato...
hair at some times of the year. With the exception of the four-toed Africanwilddog (Lycaon pictus), five toes are on the forefeet, but the pollex (thumb)...
the UK's largest drive-by Cheetah reserve. The AfricanWildDog Reserve is home to a group of Africanwild dogs. Realm of the Lions is a fully landscaped...
under the wolf Canis lupus its wild subspecies and proposed two additional subspecies, which formed the domestic dog clade: familiaris, as named by Linnaeus...
had a semi-wild hunting dog which was described by Europeans as absolutely fearless and ferocious when acting as a guard dog. This dog measured approximately...
the modern Africanwilddog (Lycaon pictus). The Africanwilddog cannot be positively identified in the fossil record of eastern Africa until the middle...
biologist who has studied the critically endangered painted dog, previously known as the Africanwilddog, for over thirty years, one of the longest studies of...
animals in other parts of the country, including badgers and wild cats. The Japanese raccoon dog is mainly nocturnal, but they are known to be active during...
claimed that L. sekowei was a hypercarnivore just like the modern Africanwilddog (L. pictus), though its front paws were not as specialized for running...
the African buffalo has never been domesticated, which would also explain why the African buffalo has no domesticated descendants, unlike the wild yak...
forms of cooperation are observed in two closely related canids, the Africanwilddog and the Asian dhole, therefore it is reasonable to assume that canid...
that fed on large prey. To kill ungulates larger than themselves, the Africanwilddog, the dhole, and the gray wolf depend on their jaws as they cannot use...
but some mammals such as Africanwild dogs and harbour porpoises can have hunting success rates of over 90%. The Africanwilddog is one of the most effective...
Schaller, p. 293. Woodroffe, R. & Ginsberg, J. R. (1999). "Conserving the Africanwilddog Lycaon pictus. I. Diagnosing and treating causes of decline". Oryx...
Wild dogs may refer to: Africanwilddog also called painted dogs Dingo–dog hybrids in Australia Free-ranging dog#Free-ranging unowned dogs, including...
alpinus), and Africanwilddog (Lycaon pictus). Newly proposed members include the red wolf (Canis rufus), eastern wolf (Canis lycaon), and African golden wolf...
any examples still exist. This breed of dog, also known as the African Sand Dog, is known for being “semi-wild” meaning they tend to follow rather than...
S2CID 28294367. Kingdon, J. (1988). "Wild Cat (Felis sylvestris)". East African Mammals: An Atlas of Evolution in Africa, Volume 3, Part A: Carnivores. University...
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