Written by Michael Bryan
Modified & Updated: 12 Sep 2024
Reviewed by Sherman Smith
The African wild dog is one of the world’s most endangered animals on our planet. They distinguish themselves with their long legs and irregular fur patterns. In the wild, they live in packs and are remarkably social, helping each member of the pack when weak or sick. When hunting food, they can go up to 20 members working together. Unfortunately, African wild dogs are gravely endangered due to ongoing habitat fragmentation, conflict with human activities, infectious disease, and are mostly overpowered by the lions. But what is so fascinating about this creature is that they fully help each other out whether it’s in the form of sharing food, or sometimes, even risking their own lives to help and defend their pack against predators. Learn more about this selfless animal with these 30 African wild dog facts.
- 01The African wild dog is native to Sub-Saharan Africa.
- 02The African wild dog is a canine or a biological family of dog-like carnivorans.
- 03They are the biggest wild canine in Africa.
- 04They have become amongst the critically endangered species in Africa.
- 05From roughly 500,000 in the wild, the African wild dog’s population is now down to 3,000 to 5,000.
- 01The African wild dog has a hyper-carnivorous diet or a diet that consumes more than 70% meat.
- 02They prey on a wide variety of animals, including warthogs, gazelles or other antelopes, rats, wildebeest calves, and even birds.
- 03The remaining population of the African wild dog is in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Tanzania.
- 04They usually roam in the open plains and sparse woodlands.
- 05The African wild dog is a highly social animal and they love to live in packs.
- 06They practice separate dominance hierarchies for males and females.
- 07Compared to other social carnivores, it’s the females rather than the males who separate from the natal pack once sexually mature.
- 08Its gestation period is about 70 days and the mother can give birth to a litter of around 10 puppies.
- 09They are able to breed upon reaching their sexual maturity of between 12 to 18 months.
- 10The predators of the African wild dogs are lions, hyenas, and humans.
- 01They are the only extant members of the genus Lycaon.
- 02Human persecution, habitat fragmentation, and outbreaks of disease are the most common reasons for its population decline.
- 03According to IUCN Red List, they became endangered since the 1990s.
- 04African wild dogs used to live in over 35 countries.
- 05They have long legs and big lungs that help them run long distances without exhaustion.
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