African Wild Dog (Cape Hunting Dog)... Ferocious But Playful And Very Misunderstood

African Wild Dog

Interesting Information About The African Wild Dog

How much does a Wild Dog weigh?

Weight Male: 18-35kg.

Weight Female: 18-30kg.

Life Expectancy:

8-11 years.

Prey:

African Wild Dog mainly prey on Impala, Kudu, Wildebeest and Nyala. Other antelope and smaller mammals will also be preyed.

Predators Of The African Wild Dog:

The African Wild Dog is not often killed by carnivores as disease is the Painted Dog's main threat. Predators that will kill the African Wild Dog are Spotted Hyaena, African Lion and on occasion the Nile Crocodile.

African Wild Dog Habitat:

The Cape Hunting Dog have tolerance for a lot of habitats. The African Wild Dog mainly utilize woodland, floodplains, savannah, riverine forest and semi arid zones. The African Wild Dog avoids desert and tropical forest.

When Is The African Wild Dog Active?:

The African Wild Dog hunts buy sight and cannot see well at night, so it is mainly diurnal. Sometimes the African Wild Dog becomes crepuscular, (Active at dawn and dusk) but is then susceptible to loosing its kill to African Lion and Spotted Hyaena.

Special Information About The African Wild Dog:

The African Wild Dog has developed a few names over the years it has been known to science the two most common, other than the African Wild Dog, are the Cape Hunting Dog and the Painted Dog which refers to the different colours on the African Wild Dog coat.

When the African Wild Dog brings down its prey, the African Wild Dog doesn't kill the animal instead it starts to feed on the prey mammal straight away even though it is still alive. A few people who have studied the African Wild Dog say that "The animal doesn't feel any pain when the African Wild Dog eats it alive because the animal is still in the shock of the attack."

The African Wild Dog has amazing stamina and can run up to 60km/h for 5 kilometres. The African Wild Dog is the second rarest carnivore in Africa. As a result of human predation and loss of habitat.

Diseases are a natural culling mechanism for the wild, but these diseases are particularly fatal to the African Wild Dog. A disease can wipe out an entire pack of up to 30 African Wild Dogs in just a few days.

The African Wild Dog is also known as the Cape Hunting Dog or the Painted Dog.