Classification: Kingdom: Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Genus: Species: Subspecies:

Animalia Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Canidae Canis lupus dingo

The current recommended scientific name of the dingo is Canis lupus dingo.

Habitat: Diminishing, various, ranging from tropical coastal beaches, inland deserts or alpine forest.

Activity pattern: Diurnal, crepuscular, in warmer climates nocturnal.

Diet: The Dingoes diet will vary depending on habitat. Opportunistic hunter and scavenger, feeding on a range of food including invertebrates, reptiles, birds and both small and large mammals. Will also eat carrion.

Height: 52-60cm

Weight: 13-19Kg

Coat colour: The color of the Dingo is ginger, ranging from sandy yellow to red ginger, pale cream and black and tan. All colour types show lighter shades on the throat, inside leg, on under belly and under tail. Black and tan dingoes have points varying from tan to cream on feet, pasterns inside legs, chest, throat, cheeks, eyebrows and vent. All colours will often have white markings restricted to the feet, chest spot, underside of neck, underbelly and tail tip.

Social behaviour: Dingoes may live in family packs; an alpha breeding pair and their offspring of current and past years; adolescent or old adults ousted from the family group may form loose groups. If large prey such as Kangaroos are available the group will come together to hunt and feed. For smaller prey such as birds or rabbits, dingoes will often hunt alone.

Breeding season: March - June

Gestation period: 63 days

Litter size: 3-5 pups

Sexual maturity: Females 2yrs   Males 1.5yrs

Longevity: Approx. 3- 5 years in wild state, 15yrs in captivity.

Vocalisation: The Dingo does not bark. Will howl to locate individuals and warn off strangers. A bark howl and cough are used in the presence of danger, alarming pups or pack members to flee or hide.

Threats: Hybridisation with the domestic dog Canis familiaris. Poisoning, trapping and shooting. Destruction and loss of habitat.

What is a Dingo?

In 1982 scientists felt confident in their analysis of the dingo, to recommend changing it's scientific name to Canis Lupus Dingo meaning wolf with a dingo difference.

The dingo is an ancient species of wild canid found in Asia and Australia. Scientists now conclude from DNA research (Wilton et al 2004) 4 that all the dingoes of Australasia have an ancient common ancestor.

There are differences in phenotype and behaviour amongst the different groups of dingoes depending on which continent they exist in, e.g .very few dingoes in south East Asia live without contact with humans and subsist on plant carbohydrates, and cooked animal protein from household waste, whereas the Australian dingo is a carnivore and has very limited contact with man, where remote wild intact populations still exist.

Many of the dingo dogs of Asia bark, the Australian dingoes howl.

The dingoes which exist in Australia have demonstrated great adaptability to the harsh conditions, the different climatic regions, habitats and resources which exist here.

As Australia's largest predator the dingo has a fundamental niche in the ecology.

Origins of the Dingo.

Our Australian dingo has evolved in isolation until European settlement(1788). It was never exposed to artificial selection by man who has produced all the modern breeds of domestic dogs. The dingo is descended from the Eurasian wolves.

North Western Australian Dingo. There are believed to be good intact populations of these dingo in remote areas of that state. Photo courtesy of the WA Dept. of Agriculture	This is a photo of a black and tan dingo in the arid region of South Australian, (about 4% of dingoes in the population are black and tan), the extent of hybridity in this region is high.
The South Eastern Highland dingo is now extinct in the wild. These photos are a male and aged female dingo of the last remnant captive colony of these animals in existence.

DISTRIBUTION

The dingo was found throughout the continent of Australia, with the exception of Tasmania. As Australia became colonised, livestock also became established on farms. Livestock such as sheep were an easy prey for the dingo. This predator prey relationship saw the erection of the world's longest fence, the dingo fence stretching 5614km from Jinbour in Queensland to the Great Australian Bight, South Australia. The erection of the fence was to keep dingoes in the northern parts of Australia allowing graziers to run livestock in the south. Today, dingoes, feral dogs and their hybrids can be found throughout Australia. Graziers still lose livestock to wild dogs (dingoes, feral dogs and hybrids) therefore wild dog management i.e. baiting, trapping and shooting are carried out in and around agricultural areas.

	90% Hybrids
	Many Hybrids
	Pure Dingo (In many areas pure dingoes are existing with hybrids)