Dingo

The dingo is a type of feral dog native to Australia. The dingo is the largest terrestrial predator in Australia, and plays an important role as an apex predator. Scientific name: Canis lupus dingo Mass: 29 – 44 lbs (Adult) Height: 1.7 – 2 ft. (Adult, At Shoulder) Length: 3.8 – 5.1 ft. (Adult, From nose to tail tip) Gestation period: 61 – 69 days The introduction of the dingo is seen by many as being responsible for thylacine extinction on the Australian mainland about two thousand years ago,12 although a recent study challenges this view.13 Dingoes have a prominent role in the culture of Aboriginal Australians as a feature of stories and ceremonies, and they are depicted on rock carvings and cave paintings.14 The dingo's habitat ranges from deserts to grasslands and the edges of forests. Dingoes will normally make their dens in deserted rabbit holes and hollow logs close to an essential supply of water. Despite being an efficient hunter, it is listed as vulnerable to extinction. It is proposed that this is due to susceptibility to genetic pollution: a controversial concept according to which interbreeding with domestic dogs may dilute the dingo's unique adaptations to the Australian environment. The dingo has been seen as a species of the dog genus (Canis dingo) a subspecies of wolf (Canis lupus dingo), a type of dog at the sub-specific level (perhaps Canis lupus familiaris var. "dingo")