Dingo Research Paper

Nobody is exactly sure where the dingo ÒCanis familiaris dingoÓ came from, it isnÕt originally from Australia but arrived between 3,500 to 4,000 years ago. The oldest dingo fossil is dated at about 3,400 years old. It is thought that the dingo is from the same family as the Indian Wolf, like many domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), but it has enough of its ancestors charachteristics that it has its own variety. There are two theories about where the dingo came from. One is that its relatives lived in India and were brought there by indian traders. The other is that its relatives were from south east Asia and was brought there by people traveling the sea. However it happened dingoes did very well in Australia. Their only competition
Dingoes mate for life and mate once a year. The families have home territories that they rarely leave. Dingo families may co-operate to catch large animals. Dingoes chase their prey. They wear them out in a long chase because they arenÕt very fast runners. Large animals are chased until the dingoes can catch them or until the weaker ones drop back. Dingoes donÕt always get their prey, however kangaroos can lean back on their tails and kick hard enough to rip open a dingoÕs stomach. The gestation period of the dingo is about 63 days, and the litters average about 5 to 8 pups. After 2 weeks, the mother will throw up food for the pups to eat. After 3 weeks, both parents will bring food to the den. Prey around the den is left for the pups to practice hunting.

The usual color of dingoes is yellow-ginger. However other colors have appeared. In northern and central Australia, 88.6% of the dingoes are yellow-ginger, 3.8% are black and tan, and 1.9% are white. In southern Australia, yellow-ginger dingoes have decreased by 45.9%, but black and tan have increased dy 19.1%, and white dingoes have almost