hiltad.blogg.se - Wild dogs mating

#WILD DOGS MATING SKIN#

An exception to this is the occasional fight between a dominant female and a subordinate female over breeding rights. Another unique feature of African hunting dogs is the general lack of aggression between pack members.

When the dogs return from a kill they feed regurgitated food to the young, wounded, and sick, as well as any adult that was not able to go on the hunt. They cooperate in caring for the young, as well as wounded or sick pack members. Within the pack these animals have unique social concerns and structure. Approximately half of young males will stay with their father's pack, the rest will leave to form a new pack together. Females usually leave the pack at 2 1/2 years or older to join other packs that have no adult females. Females have a much higher rate of emigration from their natal group than do males. On average the pack has more males than females. There are separate dominanace hierarchies for males and females. The pack has an alpha male and alpha female, which are the dominant pair. An average pack size, currently, is 7 to 15 members. Before the recent population decline of African hunting dog packs of up to 100 animals had been recorded. Status: wild 11.0 years Max Planck Institute for Demographic ResearchĪfrican hunting dogs are gregarious animals that form packs of up to 40 members. Status: wild 10.0 years Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research

post-independence association with parents.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male) 12 to 18 months.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female) 12 to 18 months.

Breeding interval Twelve to fourteen months.

gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate).

The interval between litters is normally 12 to 14 months. Pups nurse from other females in the pack as well as from their mother. Once the pups are brought out of the den they become the responsibility of the whole pack. The pups remain in the den with their mother for three to four weeks. Breeding females gives birth to their litters in grass-lined burrows, usually an abandoned aardvark hole. The smaller litter sizes have been recorded from animals in captivity. Litter sizes can vary considerably, from 2 to 20 pups. Gestation is approximately ten weeks and pups are usually born between March and July. The youngest recorded reproduction of a female was at 22 months old. Lycaon pictus reaches sexual maturity at approximately 12 to 18 months, though they usually do not mate until much later. Occasionally a subordinate female is allowed to mate and rear young. Breeding suppression between females may often result in aggressive interactions. Generally the dominant pair prevents subordinates from breeding. Their life expectancy is approximately ten years. They are normally the only pair of pack members to mate and they tend to remain monogamous for life. This pair can be identified by their increased tendency to urine mark.

Average basal metabolic rate 33.01 W AnAgeĮach African hunting dog pack has a dominant breeding pair.

( Nowak, 1999 Stuart and Stuart, 1995 "Philadelphia Zoo Animal Facts - African Wild Dog", 2004) Males and females tend to be approximately the same size. The body length of Lycaon pictus is between 75 and 110 cm, the tail is between 30 and 40 cm long, and they range in weight from 18 to 36 kg. They have large, rounded ears, a thin body, and long, muscular legs with four toes on each foot. Typically there is dark fur on the head and a white tip on the end of their bushy tail.

#WILD DOGS MATING SKIN#

pictus is short, with little or no underfur, and the blackish skin is sometimes visible where fur is sparse. The pattern of colors is different on each animals coat, much like the stripes of zebras. Lycaon pictus literally means "painted or ornate wolf." The fur appears to be painted with brown, red, black, yellow and white areas. The African hunting dogs' scientific name, Lycaon pictus, reflects the color of their pelage. ( Canadian Museum of Nature, 2003 Nowak, 1999 "Philadelphia Zoo Animal Facts - African Wild Dog", 2004) Their habitat also includes semi-desert to mountainous areas south of the Sahara Desert in Africa. They are widely distributed across the African plains and are not found in jungle areas. ( Kingdon, 1997)Īfrican hunting dogs are found in grasslands, savannahs and open woodlands. African hunting dogs are now found in Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, parts of Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and the Transvaal. Their current distribution is more fragmented. At one time the distribution of Lycaon pictus was throughout the non-forested and non-desert areas of Africa.