African Hunting Dog

African Hunting Dog, small, wild, carnivorous dog found in Africa south and east of the Sahara. It is also known as the African wild dog or Cape hunting dog. The black-skinned, long-legged dog weighs up to 23 kg (up to 50 lb) and is covered with short, sparse fur in a wide range of black, yellow, and white patterns. The large ears are rounded, and each paw has only four toes. The animal lives and travels in packs numbering from a few to more than 50 individuals. They are known to range up to 3900 sq km (up to 1500 sq mi) in their search for food. The dogs exhibit complex social patterns; unlike most social species, males make up the majority of a group. One male and one female usually do all the breeding within the group. Both parents care for the young, who learn much about hunting and game-trail patterns from the older dogs in the pack. A large pack can bring down large animals, such as lions. After a gestation period of 79 to 80 days, 6 to 16 young are born.

Scientific classification: The African hunting dog belongs to the family Canidae, in the carnivore order. It is classified as Lycaon pictus.