photo/Julie Maher, Wildlife Conservation Society

African Wild Dog
Lycaon pictus

What’s with the colorful coat? African wild dogs are often referred to as "painted dogs" because they sport a mottled pattern of light brown, black and white fur. Large, rounded ears and a white-tipped tail are other distinctive feature of this species. Measuring 24 to 30 inches tall at the shoulder, they have a canine body shaped like a wolf. 

How can you tell them apart? It's easy! No two dogs look exactly the same; the patterning of their fur is as distinctive as fingerprints.

Where and what do these "painted" prowlers prowl?
African wild dogs are found throughout the grasslands, savannahs and woodlands of East Africa.  They are very skilled, carnivore pack hunters. Some groups prefer wildebeest and Thomson’s gazelle, whereas other packs prefer zebras. 

It’s a busy life on the savannah: African wild dogs are constantly on the move. Amazingly, they can run up to 31 miles an hour! 

Howlin’ at the moon: African wild dogs remain in touch by using a soft, distinctive contact call that they can detect from over a mile away. Pack members will reassemble after short periods of separation by tracking the direction and distance of the calls. (Thanks to the big ears.)

It’s nice to see you too! Friendly relations prevail in the pack most of the time, as evidenced by the ritualized so-called “mid-day greeting ceremony.”  In which members of a pack run around excitedly, squeaking and thrusting their muzzles into each other’s faces.

Keeping the family together… Within packs males tend to be brothers, and all the females are related to each other, but there is no family relationship between the males and females.  Females migrate into the pack; whereas males stay with the group into which they were born. In a pack, mating occurs only by the alpha male and female.

Status: Endangered.

Australasia | Conservation Corner | Madagascar |
Marco Polo Trail | North America | Plains of Africa | Tropical America