Dingo

The Dingo is a medium-sized canine found in Australia, whose scientific classification is debated. It has a lean, hardy body built for speed, agility and stamina, and can reach about 60 kilometres per hour. The head is wedge-shaped and looks large for the body, with erect ears set high, and almond-shaped eyes that are hazel to dark.

There are three main coat colours: light ginger or tan (about 74 per cent of Dingoes), black and tan (about 12 per cent), and creamy white. Small white markings on the tail tip, feet and chest are common. The coat is not oily and has no doggy odour. It is single in the tropical north and thick and double in the cold southern mountains.

Wild males average about 15.8 kg and females about 14.1 kg. Captive Dingoes are longer and heavier. Dingoes from the north and north-west are often larger than those further south. Today they live across much of mainland Australia, from alpine moorlands to hot deserts and tropical wetlands, but are absent from much of the south-east.

The Dingo's lineage split early from the one that led to today's domestic dogs and can be traced back through Maritime Southeast Asia to Asia. It is closely related to the New Guinea singing dog. Because it descended from domesticated ancestors, it is regarded as a feral dog, though its exact classification is debated.

The oldest remains in Australia are around 3,500 years old, with the earliest directly dated bones from the Madura Caves on the Nullarbor Plain. Genetic work suggests the lineage may have reached Australia earlier. Either way, Dingoes must have crossed open sea on boats with people.

Once they arrived, Indigenous Australians probably helped spread them quickly around the continent. The name comes from the Dharug language of the Sydney area and was first recorded in 1789. Their skull and skeleton have changed little in thousands of years, suggesting no artificial selection.

Dingoes generally avoid conflict with humans, though they are large enough to be dangerous. Most attacks involve people feeding wild Dingoes, especially on K'gari (Fraser Island).

They tend to be nocturnal in warmer regions and active around dusk and dawn in cooler ones. Dingoes howl and whimper more than domestic dogs and bark less, mainly to give warnings. Howling can carry over long distances to find pack mates or keep intruders away.

A pack usually has a mated pair, their offspring from the current year and sometimes the previous year's. Young males are often solitary and nomadic. Only the top pair normally breeds, and the others help raise the pups. Dingoes are skilled hunters. They work in packs to bring down large kangaroos, and also eat rabbits, rodents, birds, reptiles and carrion. They can rotate their wrists, climb fences, cliffs and trees, and turn door handles.

In the wild, Dingoes live 3-5 years, few live past 7-8 years, and some have reached 10. In captivity they live 14-16 years, and one lived just under 20.

Wild Dingoes can be killed by being gored or kicked by feral water buffalo and cattle, by snake bite, and by wedge-tailed eagles, which take pups and occasionally adults. They rarely carry excess fat, and wild ones often show exposed ribs.

In arid areas during winter, they may live on the liquid in their prey, as long as there is enough prey. Tracked desert Dingoes visited water every 3-5 days, and two survived 22 days without it.

This is general awareness only, not veterinary advice. If you find an injured or unwell wild animal, contact a vet or a wildlife rescue.

Is a Dingo a wild dog?

Yes. It is a lineage of dog living wild in Australia, descended from domesticated ancestors. Experts still debate whether it counts as a subspecies, a full species or simply a feral dog.

How long does a Dingo live?

In the wild, usually 3-5 years. In captivity they live 14-16 years.

Do Dingoes bark?

They do, but rarely. Barking makes up only about 5 per cent of their sounds and is mostly used as a warning. They howl and whimper more than domestic dogs.

Are Dingoes dangerous to people?

They usually avoid conflict, but they are large enough to be dangerous. Most attacks involve people feeding wild Dingoes, and the vast majority are minor.

When are Dingoes active?

They tend to be nocturnal in warmer regions and most active at dusk and dawn in cooler areas. Activity periods are short, often under an hour.

Dingoes can rotate their wrists, which wolves cannot do, and they can climb trees.

On Fraser Island, Dingoes have been seen using waves to trap and tire a swamp wallaby.

In northern wetlands, a lone Dingo may distract magpie geese while a sea eagle makes a kill, then drive the eagle off.

A pack of Dingoes is three times as likely to bring down a kangaroo as a single one.

Their chorus howls may make a pack sound bigger than it really is.

The Dingo Fence was built to keep them out of sheep-grazing areas.