Dingo

Dingo, wild form of the domestic dog, found in Australia. The dingo has a short-haired coat, usually yellowish in color, but sometimes white, black, brown, or rust; a bushy tail; erect ears; and a sharp muzzle. In size it is between the wolf and the jackal, about 120 cm (about 47 in) long and about 50 cm (about 20 in) tall at the shoulder.

The existence of the dingo dates back at least 3,450 years, but the origin of the dingo is unknown. The dingo probably competed with and took over the ecological niche of the smaller thylacine, a carnivorous marsupial, and may have contributed to its disappearance from Australia.

Dingoes are carnivores, but they eat almost anything: insects, rodents, carrion, and vegetable matter. Their large prey changed from kangaroo and wallaby to rabbit and sheep since the arrival of Europeans. They hunt singly, in pairs, or as a family group, but seldom in packs. Evidence exists of strong pair bonding among dingoes. The litter numbers four to eight, and the male and female cooperate in the care of the young, which stay with the parents for one to three years. Dingoes are sometimes captured young by Aboriginal Australians and kept as hunting companions.

Scientific classification: The dingo belongs to the family Canidae. It is classified as Canis familiaris.