Species of the week:African Wild Dog

Species of the week:
African Wild Dog(Lycaon pictus)

1. It is the second largest canid in the world, the first being the grey wolf(Canis lupus).
2. They are carnivores with their diet usually revolving around medium to large ungulates depending on the region.
3. About 80% of African Wild Dog hunts end in kills.
4. African Wild Dogs live in large packs where each member takes on different roles such as pup sitters and hunters.
5. They can mate anytime of the year but prefer mating during the second half of raining season which is around March till June.
6. They give birth from 2-19 pups but the average is around 10 pups per litter.
7. Gestation period lasts from 65-75 days.
8. Pups leave the den and ran with the pack at about 3 months old.
9. The African wild dogs have an unusual behavior in the sense that females disperse from the pack rather than males as it is often observed in social animals.
10. Habitat loss,poaching, competitions from hyenas and lions, a need for large territories and outbreak of diseases have caused the African wild dog to be regarded as "Threatened"by the IUCN