Dingo
The Dingo (Canis
lupus dingo), is a type of wolf, probably descended from the
Indian Wolf (Canis lupus
pallipes). It is commonly described as an Australian wild
dog, but is not restricted to Australia, nor did it originate
there.
Dingo, Canis
lupus dingo
The earliest known Dingo skulls have been found in Vietnam and are
about 5,500 years old. Dingo remains from 5,000 to 2,500 years old
have been found in other parts of South-east Asia, and the earliest
record of Dingos in Australia is 3,500 years old.
The ultimate origin of the Dingo is uncertain, but it is clearly
related to the wolves of south-west Asia, and probably arose in
that area at about the same time as humans began to develop
agriculture. 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 peopleas people migrated eastward, semi-domesticated
dogs came with them. The Carolina dog found in the US southeast
resembles the dingo and has common genetic features not found in
other dogs.
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.
At between 10 and 24 kilograms, 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. (The one
illustrated above is paler than usual, and noticeably more
thick-set than most.)
Unlike domestic dogs, Dingos breed only once a year, do not bark,
have permanently erect ears and are usually a sandy-peppered
colour. They have a more independent temperament than dogs, and the
skull is distinctive, with a narrower muzzle, larger auditory
bullae, larger canine teeth, and a domed head.
Dingos did not arrive in Australia as companions of the original
Aborigines around 50,000 years ago, but seem to have been brought
by seafaring Austronesian traders at about the same time as the
Great Pyramids were being built in ancient Egypt. A study of dingo
mitochondrial DNA published in 2004 places their arrival at around
4000 BC, and suggests that only one small group may be the
ancestors of all modern dingos.
The Dingo spread rapidly, 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 the
introduction of the Dingo 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.)
Aboriginal people across the continent adopted the Dingo as a
companion animal, using it to assist with hunting, and for warmth
on cold nights.
Wild Dingos prey on a variety of animals, mostly small or
medium-sized, but also larger herbivores at need. Generally, Dingos
live in small family groups, but they are capable of forming larger
packs to hunt cooperatively. It is thought that this gave Dingos an
important competitive advantage over the more solitary marsupial
carnivores, particularly during Australia's frequent droughts (when
game becomes scarce).
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 white economy. Dingos were trapped,
shot on sight, and poisonedoften regardless of whether they were
truly wild or belonged to Aboriginal people. In the 1880s,
construction of the great Dingo Fence began. The Dingo 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 8,500 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.
Dingoes have received bad publicity in recent years as a result of
the highly publicised Azaria Chamberlain disappearance and also
because of Dingo attacks on Fraser Island in Queensland. They are
opportunistic carnivores, taking prey ranging in size from lizards
and small rodents up to sheep and kangaroos. Unlike many feral
dogs, Dingoes do not generally form packs; they more often travel
in pairs or small family groups. While Dingo groups use defined
home territories, these territories can overlap with those of other
groups.
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 the south-east of
the continent 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.
The Australian National Kennel Council recognises the Dingo as a
pure breed of dog and accepts the breed for showing in those states
where it is legal to own. Most other Kennel Clubs, including the
international Federation Cynologique Internationale, do not
recognise or register Dingos.
Conservation status: Secure
Issue #38
