Dingo

BIRD: linking the biodiversity community

Category: Placental mammals

The Dingo (Canis lupus dingo), although commonly described as an Australian wild dog, is in fact a type of wolf which is not restricted to Australia, and did not originate here. The earliest known Dingo skulls come from Vietnam and are about 5,500 years old. Dingo remains from 5000 to 2500 years old have been found in other parts of South-east Asia, while the earliest firm record of Dingos in Australia is 3500 years old.

While the ultimate origin of the Dingo is uncertain, it is clearly related to the wolves of South-west Asia, particularly the Indian Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes), and it probably arose in that area at about the same time as humans began to develop agriculture.

Modern Dingos are found throughout South-east Asia, mostly in small pockets of remaining natural forest, and in mainland Australia, particularly in the north. They have features in common with both wolves and modern dogs, and are regarded as more-or-less unchanged descendants of an early ancestor of modern dogs.

Current thinking suggests that modern dogs are a mixture of several separate domestications of wolves at different times and in different areas: the modern Dingo appears to be a relatively pure-bred descendant of one of the earliest domestications. It is probable that 14,000 year-old Dingo-like bones found in Israel, and 9,000 year-old bones in the Americas are evidence of the commensal relationships that developed between wolves and people — as people migrated eastward, semi-domesticated dogs came with them.

Dingos did not arrive in Australia as companions of the first Aboriginal Australians around 50,000 years ago, but seem to have been brought by seafaring Austronesian traders perhaps 4000 years ago — about the same time as the Great Pyramids were being built in ancient Egypt. A recent mitochondrial DNA study suggests that all Australian Dingoes are descended from a single small group.

The Dingo spread rapidly in Australia, probably with human assistance, and is thought to have occupied the entire continent within a short time. The full extent of the ecological change brought about by its introduction remains unknown, but there is little doubt that it was responsible for a series of extinctions, notably of marsupial carnivores, including the last remaining large predator, the Thylacine. (Note that the demise of the Australian megafauna took place more than 40,000 years before Dingos arrived and is believed to have been largely a result of human impact on an already fragile ecosystem.)

When European settlers first arrived in Australia, Dingos were tolerated, even welcomed at times. That changed rapidly when sheep became an important part of the economy. Dingos were trapped, shot on sight, and poisoned — often regardless of whether they were truly wild or belonged to Aboriginal people. In the 1880s, construction of the great Dog Fence began. The Dog Fence was designed to keep Dingos out of the relatively fertile south-east part of the continent (where they had largely been exterminated) and protect the sheep flocks of southern Queensland. It would eventually stretch 8500 kilometres; from near Toowoomba through thousands of miles of arid country to the Great Australian Bight and be (at that time) the longest man-made structure in the world. It was only partly successful: Dingos can still be found in parts of the southern states to this day, and although the fence helped reduce losses of sheep to predators, this was counterbalanced by increased pasture competition from rabbits and kangaroos.

At between 10 and 24 kg, Dingos are a little smaller than most wolves of the northern hemisphere (in keeping with Bergmann's Rule) and have a lean, athletic build. They stand between 44 and 63 cm high at the shoulder, and the head-body length varies between 86 and 122 cm. Colour varies but is usually ginger: some have a reddish tinge, others are more sandy yellow; the underside is lighter. Most Dingos have white markings on the chest, feet, and the tip of the tail; some have a blackish muzzle.

Wild Dingoes are opportunistic carnivores, mostly taking small to medium-sized prey like lizards and rodents, but will take larger herbivores at need. Unlike many feral dogs, they generally live in pairs or small family groups, but are also capable of forming larger packs and hunting cooperatively. This last ability is though to have given Dingos an important competitive advantage over the more solitary marsupial carnivores, particularly in bad seasons when smaller game becomes scarce. While Dingo groups use defined home territories, these can overlap with those of other groups.

Unlike domestic dogs, Dingos breed only once a year, do not bark, and have permanently erect ears. They have a more independent temperament than dogs, and the skull is distinctive, with a narrower muzzle, larger auditory bullae, and larger canine teeth.

As a result of interbreeding with dogs introduced by European settlers, the purebred Dingo gene pool is being swamped. By the early 1990s, about a third of all wild Dingos in South-east Australia were hybrids, and although the process of interbreeding is less advanced in more remote areas, the extinction of the subspecies in the wild is considered inevitable.

Despite this, the Dingo occupies an ambiguous conservation status, and can be placed almost anywhere along the risk spectrum — in some states it is still classified as vermin. Should it be regarded as a native animal like any other, and protected? Or is it simply the longest established of our feral predators? Debate continues.

Further confusing the issue, the true role of the Dingo within the broader ecosystem is unclear. There is little doubt that it had a catastrophic effect when first introduced 5000 years ago, but many experts argue that the Dingo's damage is already done, that it helps preserve native flora by keeping kangaroo numbers moderate, and keeps much more destructive predators in the feral cat and the Red Fox at bay.

Dingoes have a very similar social structure to the wolf (Canis lupus) having an alpha male and female, but instead of a pack with some unrelated animals dingoes live in a family group of up to 12 individuals.

The Dingo's breeding season is March, April, May with the male also coming into season. Cubs are born after a 66 day gestation period and like domestic dog puppies, Dingo cubs are exploring at six weeks old; at one year old they stay with the parents and help raise the next litter.

At twenty two months old they leave their parents home range and find a mate and a home range of their own.

The life span of the pure Dingo in captivity can be up to 18 years, but normally they will die at 12 years of age.

Unfortunately the Dingo is headed for extinction and there is nothing we can do to stop it. Breeding with domestic dogs is breeding out the Dingo genes until all that will remain will be another strain of domestic dog.