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(#2) They Are Able To Break Human-Made Traps
Although African wild dogs tend to act skittish and anxious when faced with a possible dangerous situation, they are also observing at the same time. Conservationists attempting to encourage more packs to form attempted to capture a breeding pair inside a cage trap. A hunk of meat was hung inside in order to tempt the dogs and they kept their distance until a pair eventually entered and was trapped. The rest of the pack immediately began circling the cage, picked up the rope attached to the door, and pulled it to open the door and free their friends. The dogs' ability to observe the situation before entering and understand how a contraption they had never seen before worked adds intelligence to their list of awesome traits.
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(#8) Each Wild Dog Has Its Own Unique Coat Pattern Which Helps Other Pack Members Recognize Them
Lycaon pictus is the scientific name of the African wild dog and means "painted wolf." It's a very fitting name since each dog has a pattern of markings that may feature brown, white, black, red, or yellow, and is unique to each individual dog, much like a fingerprint. Since no two dog looks alike, this helps to not only distinguish each from one another, but also helps other dogs easily identify members of their pack. The tails of African wild dogs are very bushy with a bit of white on the tip, which helps them flag each other when using tail signals from a distance, especially while hunting. The patterns and earthy colors the dogs sport also help them camouflage into their surroundings very easily and adds to their effectiveness at capturing their prey.
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(#4) Packs Hunt Cooperatively With Finely Tuned Choreography
African wild dogs have a nasty reputation partly due to the way they hunt and how efficient of a system it is. They work together in groups and make a cooperative attack where every dog has a role. Remaining organized at all times, the dogs will identify a worthy target, and a team of several dogs will begin the chase. If the first wave of dogs gets tired before the kill, they switch with another team and the chase continues. Using this method, African dogs can run much longer than their prey, which eventually tires and is killed. Although they are fond of hunting antelopes, by working together they can also attack wildebeests or other large prey.
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(#11) African Wild Dogs Are Nomadic And Often Travel Over A Very Large Area
The territories of African wild dog covers a wide area and they tend to often move around within their space. They may even call an area as big as 900 square miles their home. To ensure food is plentiful, wild dogs have adopted a nomadic lifestyle. However, during the times pups are born, the pack will stop moving and limit their hunting to a certain area around the den. Requiring such a large area to live has caused the dogs trouble as humans take over more space. Parts of the dogs' area may now contain houses, farms, or roads that cause trouble for both the dogs and the humans.
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(#7) The Females Leave To Search For Mates Instead Of The Males
Female African wild dogs are bigger than the males and hold a lot of power within the pack as well as their entire species. In a case of role reversal, the male dogs are often the ones to stay behind to babysit the pups while the female goes hunting with the pack. Females are usually the ones competing for the males when it comes to pairing up to breed rather than males fighting over the females, as seen in other animal groups. When it comes time to form a new pack, it is the females that break away and form their own group. Sometimes they join another pack which has no females. Most male African wild dogs end up staying with their pack for their entire lives, taking care of each generation as it is born and grows up.
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(#12) Endangered African Wild Dogs Are Forced To Stick Together Now More Than Ever
Farmers and ranchers in Africa have considered wild dogs pests for many years. Since human development slowly expands more into the dogs' environment each year, encounters between the two is inevitable. Wild dogs occasionally discover they enjoy eating livestock. Fearing the dogs will destroy their source of income, farmers and ranchers attempt to kill the dogs. Poaching and loss of land due to human development has also affected the wild dogs' numbers. Diseases acquired from domestic animals they encounter, along with rabies, has killed many wild dogs as well. There are now thought to be only as many as 5,000 African wild dogs left in existence, making them the most endangered of all Africa's predators.
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African wild dogs are the rarest carnivores in Africa. Because of their powerful hunting skills, African wild dogs are not appreciated by those who try to raise animals. With the reduction of habitat and competition from other large carnivores, their numbers are declining and became endangered. African wild dogs mainly live in the dry grasslands and semi-desert areas of Africa, never activities in dense forests.
The African wild dogs are cooperative hunting animal and live in close groups. It is very rare to have serious fights in the wild dog family. Although they look fierce, they are actually social dogs. The random tool will help you to know more information about African wild dogs.
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