Painted Hunting Dog

African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) are pack hunters, typically working together to run down their prey in a long, open chase. Most African wild dogpacks consist of around 5 – 15 adults and yearlings, although pack size can vary from 2 to around 30 members. Packs occupy a territory that may span up to 600 – 900 square miles.

African wild dogs are very effective hunters; nearly 80 percent of all chases end in a kill. They usually prey on medium-sized grass-eating animals like impalas and other antelope, but sometimes they hunt larger prey like zebras, wildebeests, and even ostriches!

The biting power of the African wild dog helps to explain their prowess at hunting; a recent study showed that the African wild dog’s Bite Force Quotient (or biting power compared to the animal’s mass) is stronger than in any other carnivore in the world.

Although they are fearsome predators, African wild dogs also have a gentler side. They form extremely strong pack bonds, eating, playing, and sleeping in close contact.

Only the alpha pair breeds, and the entire pack helps to raise the pups. All of the females in the pack lactate to nurse the pups and all members of the pack, both male and female, regurgitate food to feed them. Pups are even given precedence after a successful hunt, with adult dogs protecting the kill and the pups from other predators as the pups eat first.

African wild dogs have exuberant greeting ceremonies, licking each other’s muzzles and even regurgitating food for one another when they come together after separation. African wild dogs are rarely aggressive with one another, with a social hierarchy based on submissive behaviour rather than aggressive behaviour.

Although the African wild dog had populations throughout sub-Saharan Africa in the past, over time they disappeared from most areas. Habitat fragmentation, conflict with human activities, and infectious disease are the main reasons for this decline.

The largest remaining groups of African wild dogs are in southern Africa and parts of East Africa. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), only about 3,500 – 5,000 African wild dogs remain alive in the wild today. African wild dogs are listed by the IUCN as Endangered, meaning that they are facing a very high risk of becoming extinct in the wild.


Breeding programme category:EEP
IUCN Red List category: Endangered