Dhole (Cuon alpinus)

Blurb from the Author:  I had seen the dhole when I was first researching animals to do at the beginning of my blog, but never got around to writing about it. Last week I came across it again because the dhole was one of the major predators from my previous species! I found the name to be very odd, but the “h” turned out to be silent haha! I video I chose for this week was unable to copy over correctly to my post but if you follow the link the video is 100% worth watching! (warning: graphic content) Their pack mentality and reliance on eachother amazed me and, to me, I think th dole is a very cool species of dog!

Lifespan:  10 years in wild 16 years in captivity

Population Size:  4,500- 10,500 (but decreasing)

Geographical Location:  The dhole is found in South, South East, and East Asia. The varying climates of this Asian region allow for the dhole to be a generalist and live in different types of forest, grassland, and shrubland habitat.

Diet:  Surprisingly, this species are omnivores! They have a huge variety to their diet including hoofed mammals, berries, rodents, lizards, insects, rabbits, etc.

Size: 3 feet long, 20 inches tall, 22-44 lbs

Conservation Status:  endangered

Predators: When dhole’s are seen as vulnerable they may be hunted by large cats (leopards and tigers). However, like most of the species and probably all the future species I mention, all share a common predator that threatens their existence, humans. 🙁

Reproduction:  They mate in monogamous pairs (meaning they mate for life with one other single individual!) during the months from September-February. The female’s gestation period is about 60-63 days. They produce 3-4 pups per liter. Like many other pack species, other members of the pack help care for each others young in the early months.

Communication: They primarily communicate through vocalizations. Some of the vocalizations that they use include whistles, clucks, and high-pitched whistles.

• Fun Facts:
• They reside in groups ranging from 12-40 individuals
• Can jump over 7 ft straight up into the air
• Can catch prey over 10 times their own body weight when hunting as a pack
• ” In 2016, the Korean company Sooam Biotech was reported to be attempting to clone the dhole using dogs as surrogate mothers to help conserve the species. ” (Just Fun Facts, 2019)
• They have 40 teeth compared to other canids who have 42 teeth
• They are excellent swimmers!
• Also known as the “red dog” ,”whistling dog”, “Indian wild dog”, and “Asiatic dog”
• There are 10 subspecies of the dhole
• The “h” is silent in dhole

VIDEO: https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/videos/deadly-instincts/the-life-of-a-dhole-3808.aspx

Websites Used for Research: https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/dhole http://animalia.bio/dhole https://a-z-animals.com/animals/dhole/

References: Chacon, R. 2000. “Cuon alpinus” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 05, 2020 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cuon_alpinus/