Life Cycle of African Wild Dogs
African wild dogs, also known as African hunting dogs, once lived throughout Africa south of the Sahara desert. Their range now is limited, with the wild population numbering under 5,000. They live and hunt in packs of around 10 individuals and prey on a variety of grazing animals, from deer to warthogs to rabbits. They usually weigh between 40 and 80 lbs.
Other People Are Reading
-
Gestation and Birth
-
In a wild dog pack, the dominant or alpha pair are typically the only ones who breed. After a gestational period of 69 to 72 days, the mother gives birth to a litter that may number as many as 20 puppies but averages around eight. Infant mortality rates are high due to exposure, predation by lions and hyenas, and other factors.
Puphood
-
Puppies are black and white when they're born and develop tan or brown patches after about a month. They open their eyes after three weeks. During the first three months of their lives, the pups remain in the den, with the pack's adults regurgitating food for them to eat. After that, they begin to accompany the pack and begin to kill prey by around 8 months old.
-
Adolescence
-
African wild dogs reach sexual maturity between a year and 18 months old, although they often don't mate until they're several years old. They also become adept hunters by 12 to 14 months old. Males usually remain with their birth pack, but females between 14 and 30 months old leave in groups with their sisters to seek new packs.
Adulthood
-
As adults, African wild dogs contribute to the pack well-being. They may hunt individually but are most effective in a group, experiencing high rates of success at killing even large prey. Pups eat first from fresh kills, and all the adults in the pack help feed and care for pups and nursing females.
Death
-
African wild dogs rarely live longer than a decade in their natural habitat. In addition to wild predators such as lions, they face hunting, trapping and shooting by farmers who erroneously consider them a threat to livestock. They are also vulnerable to diseases such as distemper and rabies that are spread by domestic dogs.
-
References
- Photo Credit wild dog image by Xavier MARCHANT from Fotolia.com
