Carnivores: Aardwolf African Wild Cat African Wild Dog Banded Mongoose Bat Eared Fox Black-backed Jackal Brown Hyena Cape Clawless Otter Cape Fox Caracal Cheetah Civet Dhole Large Spotted Genet Golden Jackal Honey badger Leopard African Lion Asiatic Lion Sand Cat Serval Side Striped Jackal Snow Leopard Spotted Hyena Striped Hyena Suricate (Meercat) Tiger White Tailed Mongoose Yellow Mongoose
The Dhole is a dog like mammal, sometimes referred to as the "Red Dog" but their coat actually varies from a rich mahogany red to a brownish grey or even pale sandy colour. The males stand around 40-55cm high at the shoulder and weigh up to 20Kg. The females are slightly smaller than the males.
Dholes live in packs which typically consist of between 5 and 12 individuals. Their home ranges vary in size depending on the availability of prey and range from 23 to 83 square kilometres. Several packs may come together infrequently to form larger temporary groups, particularly during the breeding season. The males in the pack have a dominance structure, but it is unclear if females have a similar dominance structure.
In India, Dholes prey on Sambar, Chital, swamp deer, nilgai, blackbuck, gaur, wild pigs, ground dwelling birds and rodents. Chital make up the majority of their diet. In Siberia their diet includes Reindeer and in Tibet they are known to prey on sheep. Dholes hunt in packs and cooperate to catch their prey which they kill by eviscerating it in a similar way to how African Wild Dogs kill their prey.
Dholes have a gestation period of approximately 63 days. The young are born in an underground den with up to ten pups in a litter (although 4 is more usual). When giving birth and raising young, several females in the pack may share a single den. Once the pups are weaned, the entire pack will regurgitate food for the young. When the pack goes out hunting, some members will remain behind to guard the young pups in the den. The pups remain in and around the den for the first ten weeks of their lives, and by seven months old they are able to join the rest of the pack on hunts. The young are mature at 1 year old.
Dholes inhabit forested areas in South East Asia. They can be found in India (where the largest population of Dholes is found), Bangladesh, Sumatra, Java, Myanmar, Tibet, and China.
Dholes are listed on CITES Appendix II, and is classed as Endangered by the IUCN.
© Predator Conservation Trust.
