African wild dog
other dogs, which have five toes on their forefeet. The dog's Latin name means "painted wolf," referring to the animal's irregular, mottled coat, which features patches of red, black, brown, white, and yellow fur. Each animal has its own unique coat pattern, and all have big, rounded ears.
African wild dogs live and hunt in groups called packs. Packs typically include an alpha (dominant) male and female, their offspring and other related members. Historically, more than 100 dogs gathered in packs during spring migrations, but today the average pack of African wild dogs contains approximately 10 members. Unlike other canine species, packs of wild dogs frequently contain more male members than female members.
The home range of packs varies depending on the size of the pack and the nature of the terrain. In the Serengeti, the average dog density (prior to the local extinction of the species) was one dog per 208 km2 (80 sq mi), whereas in the Selous Game Reserve, the average density was one dog every 25 km2 (9.7 sq mi). [18] However, the population density in the Serengeti as late as 1970 was as high as one dog per 35 km2 (14 sq mi) before falling to one in 200 km2 (77 sq mi) in 1977.
Packs are separated into male and female hierarchies. If one of the alphas were to die, the pack was previously thought to split up, but this was disproven (although on a small scale) by Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, in which six dogs which had previously been held in captivity (only five made it to the island, one died of anesthesia) lost their two alphas, to what was presumed to be crocodiles, but the pack of three stuck together and a new alpha male and female were made.[citation needed] In the female group, the oldest will have alpha status over the others, so a mother will retain her alpha status over her daughters and sisters. Among males, the father and most dominant brother of the others will be dominant.
African wild dog
African wild dog
African wild dog
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