Aspects | Details |
About | - It is a canid which combines the characteristics of the Grey Wolf and the Red Fox.
- Canids refer to the family Canidae, which includes 36 species across 13 genera, such as wolves, foxes, and domesticated dogs.
- Asiatic Wild Dog is also known as Dhole, Whistling Dog or Red Wolf.
- Scientific name: Its scientific name is Cuon alpinus.
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Habitat | - It likes open spaces and is often found on jungle roads, jungle clearings, river beds, and paths, resting during the day.
- It also inhabits dense forest steppes, hills, and thick jungles on the plains.
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Distribution | - It is native to Central and Southeast Asia.
- Earlier, it was found in the alpine, temperate, tropical, and subtropical forests across Asia, but now disappeared from much of its former range.
- Currently, it is confined to central and eastern Asia, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.
- In India, key populations are found in the Western Ghats, Central India and Northeast India, with smaller populations in the Eastern Ghats and the Western Himalayas of Uttarakhand.
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Appearance | - It differs from other members of the dog family by its broader muzzle, an extra pair of teats, and one fewer molar tooth on each side of the lower jaw.
- Its coat is thick and dense, with colours varying from pale golden-yellow and dark reddish-brown to greyish-brown.
- The throat, chest, belly, inner legs, and paws are generally lighter in colour or white.
- Its eyes are amber in colour.
- Its rounded ears are covered with pale or white fur, while its bushy tail usually ends in a darker, often black, tip.
- A darker patch of fur is often present along its back.
- In general, dholes from northern regions have longer and lighter-coloured coats than those from southern regions.
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Diet | - It is hypercarnivores, meaning their diet is at least 70 percent meat.
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Behaviour | - It uses a distinctive whistle sound to reunite pack members within its dense forest habitat.
- It lives in packs and is highly sociable.
- It uses a cooperative hunting strategy, and packs regularly divide into smaller hunting clans of three to five individuals.
- It raises its young in complex, cavernous dens that can become interconnected with other dens in the surrounding area.
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Threats | - It faces significant pressure from:
- Fragmented and shrinking forests
- Prey depletion
- Conflict with humans and livestock
- Risk of disease transmission from domestic dogs.
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Conservation status | - Only an estimated 4,500-10,500 individuals remain worldwide.
- IUCN Red List: Endangered
- Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule II
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