The dingo dog belongs to the canine family, just like the raccoon, wolf, cyon, lycaon and fox, among others. Although at first glance it looks like a dog, there are also significant differences that prevent a dingo from being considered a dog. Interestingly, however, dingoes can interbreed with dogs, producing fertile offspring. Unfortunately these creatures are not infamous in the place where they live and are sometimes exterminated by all possible means. Why? Find out!
Where do dingoes come from?
The wild dingo is now found mainly in Australia and New Guinea. It is also found in the Philippines, among other places. This is a very old species, which is at least a few thousand years old. Interestingly, dingoes were originally domesticated companions of humans. After arriving in Australia over time again feral, which is why they are now considered a wild, undomesticated species
Australian dingo – appearance
The habit of the dingo is similar to that of the domestic dog. A particular similarity can be seen, juxtaposing it with Asian and primitive breeds. These animals reach a weight in the range of 10-24 kg and are characterized by a height at the withers of about 44-63 cm. Their body length is 86-122 cm. Dingoes are sexually dimorphic, with males being larger than females. What distinguishes a dingo from a dog is primarily a more flattened skull, a distinctly longer snout and larger teeth
Dingo – coat and coloration
The dingo dog has a short, dense, clinging coat. A slightly longer and fluffier coat can be seen on the tail. The coat color of the dingo consists of different shades of sand and red. Characteristic are the white markings on the chest, jowl and the bottom of the muzzle. White patches are also found on the paws. There are some pure white or light brown animals, but they are rare. Any other coat in the dingo indicates that it is a crossbreed with a dog
The wild dingo – character
As has been mentioned, formerly these animals were domesticated and accompanied man. Today they are considered wild and no attempt is made to domesticate them, so they are certainly not suitable for family pets. Individual animals are brave enough to approach homes and do not run away from humans. In general, however, they are far more skittish than dogs towards humans.
The dingo dog is independent, courageous and stubborn, and has an extremely strong hunting instinct. This is necessary for survival
Why are dingoes exterminated?
In Australia, dingoes are somewhat treated as pests. The infamous exception to the rule (killing only for food) is when these animals run into herds of sheep. They then murder them in large numbers – not to eat them, but simply, perhaps for “fun”. In this way, they cause great damage to households
Dingo Fence – what is it?
The Dingo Fence, also known as the Dog Fence, is the world’s longest fence that was erected in Australia to protect land from dingoes. Its construction began in 1880 and took 5 years to complete. The length of the fence is 5614 km. The fence was dug 30 cm deep and is 180 cm high. Despite protective measures, it happened that dingoes entered the protected area through holes in the fence. As a result of the construction of the fence, the population of kangaroos and rabbits has increased significantly
The Australian dingo – an endangered species
This animal is listed in the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. It is marked as threatened with extinction. Its population is not only threatened by human extermination, but also by crossbreeding with dogs. The offspring resulting from such a cross is no longer a dingo, but a hybrid
Dingoes in the zoo
Dingoes are very intriguing creatures, so it is not surprising that everyone is curious about their appearance and character. Individuals can be found not only in their area of natural occurrence, but in many other places around the world – in zoos. They can also be found in several zoos in Poland. Visiting such a place, you can take a closer look at these animals, observe their habits and behavior.
A dingo in the house – is this a good idea?
Definitely not! As has already been mentioned several times, these are wild animals. Of course, theoretically it is possible to tame individual animals – as long as they are separated from their mother at an early age and raised by humans. However, it must be remembered that they are independent creatures, which are not taught to live with humans
Dingoes are unique animals, which on the one hand have a lot in common with our domestic pets, but on the other hand as much as they differ. So much so, that they can not be considered the same species, despite the fact that they belong to the same family. Finally, as a matter of interest, it is worth mentioning that dingo dogs do not generally bark. The main form of vocalization in their case is whining and howling
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