The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), also known as the painted dog or Cape hunting dog, is a wild dog found in sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest wild dog in Africa and the only living species in the Lycaon genus. This group differs from other wild dogs, such as those in the Canis genus, because their teeth are specially adapted for eating meat, and they lack extra claws on their front paws.

About 6,600 adult African wild dogs live in 39 groups, all of which face dangers like broken-up habitats, humans harming them, and disease outbreaks. The largest group likely has fewer than 250 individuals, so the African wild dog has been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1990.

The African wild dog hunts large land animals, often at sunrise or sunset, but sometimes during the day. It uses teamwork and endurance to chase prey until they are too tired to escape. Its main competitors are lions, which sometimes kill the dogs, and spotted hyenas, which often steal food from them. Like other wild dogs, the African wild dog spits up food for its young, and this behavior also helps strengthen relationships among adults in the group. Young dogs eat first when food is available.

The African wild dog has been respected by some hunter-gatherer groups, including the San people and ancient cultures in Egypt.

Etymology and naming

The English language uses many names for the African wild dog, such as African hunting dog, Cape hunting dog, painted hunting dog, painted dog, painted wolf, and painted lycaon. Although "African wild dog" is often used, some conservation groups believe the term "wild dog" may have meanings that could harm the animal's image. One group supports using the name "painted wolf," while "painted dog" is considered the best choice to help reduce negative opinions about the animal.

Taxonomic and evolutionary history

The earliest written mention of the African wild dog is found in the writings of Oppian, who described the thoa, a creature that is a mix between a wolf and a leopard. The thoa had the shape of a wolf and the color of a leopard. In the third century AD, Solinus wrote about a colorful, wolf-like animal with a mane that lived in Ethiopia.

The African wild dog was first scientifically described in 1820 by Coenraad Jacob Temminck, who studied a specimen from Mozambique and named it Hyaena picta. Later, in 1827, Joshua Brookes recognized it as a member of the dog family and renamed it Lycaon tricolor. The word Lycaon comes from the Greek lykaios, meaning "wolf-like." The name picta (meaning "painted" in Latin) was later restored for the species according to scientific naming rules.

Paleontologist George G. Simpson grouped the African wild dog, the dhole, and the bush dog into a subfamily called Simocyoninae because all three have sharp, specialized teeth called carnassials. This classification was challenged by Juliet Clutton-Brock, who argued that differences beyond their teeth made it unlikely for them to share a single subfamily.

The African wild dog has the most specialized traits among canids for hunting, coat color, and movement. Its skeleton is graceful, and the loss of the first digit on its front paws helps it run faster and cover long distances. Its teeth are shaped like carnassials, and its premolars are the largest relative to body size among living carnivores, except for the spotted hyena. On its lower carnassials, the part of the tooth used for cutting meat has evolved into a sharp blade, while the postcarnassial molars are smaller or missing. This trait is also seen in the dhole and the bush dog. The African wild dog has the most varied coat colors among mammals, with patterns that may help with communication, hiding, or regulating body temperature. A 2019 study found that the African wild dog's ancestors split from the dhole and domestic dogs about 1.7 million years ago, around the same time large hoofed animals (its prey) diversified. The study also suggests that the African wild dog has limited genetic exchange with other canid species.

The oldest known African wild dog fossil is 200,000 years old and was found in HaYonim Cave, Israel. Little is known about its evolution because few fossils have been discovered. Some scientists believe the extinct Xenocyon (a type of ancient canid) is related to the African wild dog and the dhole, but others argue Xenocyon should be classified as Lycaon. The species Canis (Xenocyon) falconeri had a feature similar to the African wild dog (the absence of a dewclaw), but its teeth were not as specialized. Another possible ancestor is Lycaon sekowei, a Plio-Pleistocene species from South Africa, which had unique tooth features found only in Lycaon today. L. sekowei had not yet lost the first metacarpal (a bone in the paw) and had larger, more robust teeth than modern African wild dogs.

The African wild dog has 78 chromosomes, the same number as species in the genus Canis. In 2018, a study compared the genomes of the African wild dog and the dhole, finding evidence of ancient genetic mixing between the two species. Today, their ranges are far apart, but during the Pleistocene, the dhole lived as far west as Europe. The study suggests the dhole may have once lived in the Middle East and mixed with the African wild dog in North Africa, though no fossils have been found to support this.

As of 2005, five subspecies of the African wild dog are recognized by Mammal Species of the World. However, these classifications are not always accepted. Earlier studies suggested East African and Southern African populations were genetically distinct, but more recent research shows they have intermixed. Some genetic differences exist between Southern African, northeastern African, and other populations, with a transition zone in Botswana, Zimbabwe, and southeastern Tanzania. The West African population may have a unique genetic marker, possibly making it a distinct subspecies. The original population in the Serengeti and Maasai Mara had a unique genetic profile, but these may no longer exist.

Description

The African wild dog is the largest and strongest of African canids. It stands 60 to 75 cm (24 to 30 in) tall at the shoulders, measures 71 to 112 cm (28 to 44 in) from head to body, and has a tail length of 29 to 41 cm (11 to 16 in). Adult African wild dogs weigh between 18 and 36 kg (40 to 79 lb). Dogs from East Africa typically weigh about 20–25 kg (44–55 lb). By body size, they are only larger than the wolf species complex among living canids. Female African wild dogs are usually 3–7% smaller than males. Compared to canids in the genus Canis, the African wild dog has a leaner and taller body, larger ears, and no dewclaws. The middle two toepads on their feet are often joined together. Their teeth differ from those of Canis in several ways: the last lower molar is smaller, the canines are narrower, and the premolars are larger relative to body size than in any other carnivore except hyenas. The heel of the lower carnassial tooth (M1) has a single, blade-like point, which helps the teeth cut food quickly. This feature, called the "trenchant heel," is also found in the Asian dhole and the South American bush dog. The skull of the African wild dog is shorter and wider than that of other canids.

The fur of the African wild dog is very different from that of other canids. It has only stiff bristle hairs and no soft underfur. Their coat colors vary greatly, which may help them recognize each other from distances of 50–100 m (160–330 ft). Some African wild dogs from the northeast have mostly black fur with small white and yellow patches, while those from the south have more colorful coats with a mix of brown, black, and white. Most of their coat patterns appear on the body and legs. Facial markings are mostly similar, with the muzzle being black and gradually turning brown on the cheeks and forehead. A black line runs up the forehead and becomes blackish-brown on the back of the ears. A few dogs have a brown, teardrop-shaped mark below their eyes. The back of the head and neck are either brown or yellow. A white patch may appear behind the front legs, and some dogs have completely white front legs, chests, and throats. The tail is usually white at the tip, black in the middle, and brown at the base. Some dogs lack the white tip entirely or have black fur below it. These coat patterns can be uneven, with each side of the body often having different markings.

Distribution and habitat

The African wild dog is mainly found in Southern and East Africa. They are rarely found in North Africa and mostly not present in West Africa, except for a possible group living in Senegal's Niokolo-Koba National Park. They are sometimes seen in other parts of Senegal, Guinea, and Mali. Their presence is uneven in East Africa. They live mostly in savannas and dry areas, usually avoiding forests. This choice is probably because they hunt in open spaces that allow them to see and chase prey easily. They travel through areas with sparse vegetation, woodlands, and mountainous regions to find food. A group that lives in forests was discovered in the Harenna Forest, a wet mountain forest in Ethiopia that reaches up to 2,400 meters (7,900 feet). At least one group was seen on Mount Kilimanjaro's peak. In Zimbabwe, they have been found at 1,800 meters (5,900 feet). In Ethiopia, several groups were spotted at elevations between 1,900 and 2,800 meters (6,200 to 9,200 feet). A dead individual was found in June 1995 at 4,050 meters (13,290 feet) on the Sanetti Plateau. A stable group of more than 370 wild dogs lives in Kruger National Park.

Behaviour and ecology

The African wild dog has strong social bonds, stronger than those of lions and spotted hyenas that live in the same area. Living alone or hunting alone is very rare for this species. They live in permanent groups called packs, which include 2 to 27 adult dogs and young pups. In places like Kruger National Park and the Maasai Mara, packs usually have 4 or 5 adults. In Moremi and Selous Game Reserves, packs often have 8 or 9 adults. However, some packs have more members, and sometimes hundreds of wild dogs gather when large groups of springboks migrate. Males and females have separate leadership systems, with females usually led by the oldest female. Males may be led by the oldest male, but younger males can sometimes take over. Some packs may include older male former leaders. The dominant pair of dogs usually has all the babies. This species is different from most other social carnivores because males stay in their birth pack, while females leave to join other packs (a pattern also seen in primates like gorillas, chimpanzees, and red colobus monkeys). In any pack, there are usually three times as many males as females. When females leave their birth pack, they join new packs and sometimes push out other females related to the pack members. This helps prevent inbreeding and allows the pushed-out females to find new packs to join and have babies. Males rarely leave their pack, and if they do, they are usually not accepted by other packs that already have males. Although African wild dogs are the most social type of wild dog, they do not have the complex facial expressions and body language seen in wolves. This may be because African wild dogs have a less strict social structure. Unlike wolves, which need complex expressions to reconnect after long separations, African wild dogs stay together for longer periods. They have a wide range of sounds, including twitters, whines, yelps, squeals, whispers, barks, growls, gurling, rumbling, moans, and hooing.

In East Africa, African wild dogs do not have a fixed time of year for breeding, but in Southern Africa, they usually breed between April and July. During the female’s breeding period, one male stays close to her and keeps other males away. The breeding period can last up to 20 days. Unlike most other wild dogs, African wild dogs do not have a long time when the male and female are joined during mating. This may be an adaptation to avoid larger predators. The pregnancy lasts 69 to 73 days, and the time between pregnancies is usually 12 to 14 months. African wild dogs have the largest litters of any wild dog, with 6 to 16 pups per litter, averaging 10. This means one female can produce enough babies to form a new pack each year. However, most packs cannot gather enough food to feed more than two litters, so only the dominant female breeds. She may even kill the babies of other females in the pack. After giving birth, the mother stays near the pups in the den while the rest of the pack hunts. She keeps other pack members away from the pups until they are old enough to eat solid food at 3 to 4 weeks. The pups leave the den at about 3 weeks and are nursed outside. They are weaned at 5 weeks, when the rest of the pack feeds them by regurgitating meat. By 7 weeks, the pups look more like adults, with longer legs, muzzles, and ears. At 8 to 10 weeks, the pack leaves the den, and the young join the adults during hunts. The youngest members eat first during hunts, but this privilege ends when they become yearlings. African wild dogs live about 10 to 11 years in the wild.

When separated from the pack, an African wild dog can become very sad and may die from loneliness.

Packs of African wild dogs have more males than females. This happens because males usually stay in their pack, while females leave. This is supported by the changing number of males and females in each litter. Litters from young females have more males, second litters have equal numbers, and later litters have more females. This trend increases as females get older. Earlier litters provide strong hunters, while the high number of females leaving the pack prevents the pack from becoming too large.

In the Okavango Delta, wild dogs have been seen "rallying" before hunting. Not every rally leads to a hunt, but the chance of a hunt increases when more dogs make a short, sharp sound called a sneeze. If a dominant dog sneezes first, the group is more likely to hunt. If a less dominant dog sneezes first, the group will hunt only if many others also sneeze. Researchers believe wild dogs in Botswana use sneezing and a system where more dogs need to sneeze before a hunt happens to decide when to go hunting.

Because African wild dogs live in small, separated groups, their survival is threatened. They avoid inbreeding by choosing mates carefully, which is important for their survival. Inbreeding is rare within their birth packs. Evolution may have discouraged inbreeding because it can lead to harmful traits. Computer models suggest that if wild dog populations continue to avoid inbreeding, they may become extinct within 100 years due to a lack of unrelated mates. This could severely harm the future survival of small wild dog populations.

African wild dogs are specialized hunters that mainly target medium-sized antelope. They are active during the day and hunt by approaching prey quietly, then chasing it at speeds up to 66 km/h (41 mph) for 10 to 60 minutes. The average chase covers about 2 km (1.2 miles). During the chase, large prey is bitten on the legs, belly, and rump until it stops running, while smaller prey is pulled down and torn apart.

African wild dogs change their hunting methods based on the prey. They rush at wildebeest to scare the herd and isolate a weak individual, but chase territorial antelope by cutting across the herd’s path to stop them from escaping. Medium-sized prey is usually killed in 2 to 5 minutes, while larger prey like wildebeest may take 30 minutes to bring down. Male wild dogs often grab dangerous prey, like warthogs, by the nose. Studies show that five prey species

Threats

The African wild dog is mainly in danger because its habitat is broken into smaller pieces. This happens due to conflicts between humans and wildlife, the spread of diseases, and high death rates. These animals are no longer found in large areas of North and West Africa, and their numbers have dropped greatly in Central Africa, Uganda, and much of Kenya. A study in the Chinko area of the Central African Republic showed that the African wild dog population went from 160 individuals in 2012 to 26 individuals in 2017. At the same time, people who move with their livestock from the border area with Sudan entered the region.

Conservation

The African Wild Dog Conservancy, a non-governmental organization, started its work in 2003 to protect African wild dogs in northeastern and coastal Kenya. This area is where two important ecosystems meet. Most of the land is owned by local communities who raise livestock. With the help of these communities, an initial study was conducted and found a group of wild dogs that conservationists had not known about. Over the next 16 years, knowledge from local people showed that this region is a key place for wild dogs to live safely and serves as a path connecting Kenya's Tsavo National Parks to the Horn of Africa. This area is now recognized as a top priority for wild dog conservation by the IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group.

In culture

Images of African wild dogs appear often on tools and objects from Egypt’s time before the first kings ruled, probably showing order over chaos and the change from wild to domestic dogs. Hunters from this time may have connected with the African wild dog, as shown on the Hunters Palette, where they wore the animals’ tails on their belts. By the time of the first kings, African wild dog pictures became less common, and the wolf took over the animal’s symbolic meaning.

According to Enno Littmann, people in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region believed that harming a wild dog with a spear would cause the animal to dip its tail into its wounds and flick blood at the attacker, leading to immediate death. Because of this belief, shepherds in the region used stones instead of sharp weapons to keep wild dogs away.

The African wild dog is an important figure in the myths of Southern Africa’s San people. One story connects the wild dog to the start of death, as a hare is cursed by the moon to be hunted forever by wild dogs after the hare refuses the moon’s promise that all living things would be reborn after death. Another story tells of the god Cagn punishing other gods by sending humans turned into wild dogs to attack them, though it is not said who won the battle. In Botswana, the San see the African wild dog as the greatest hunter and believe that shamans and medicine men can change into wild dogs. Some San hunters apply wild dog body fluids to their feet before hunting, thinking it gives them the animal’s courage and speed. However, the African wild dog is not often shown in San rock art, with the only clear example being a carving in Mount Erongo that shows a group hunting two antelopes.

The Ndebele people have a story explaining why African wild dogs hunt in groups. At first, when the first wild dog’s wife was sick, other animals tried to help. An impala asked a hare, who was a healer, for medicine to take to the wild dog’s home. The hare warned the impala not to stop on the way. The impala stopped when it smelled a leopard and spilled the medicine. Later, a zebra asked the hare for the same medicine and was given the same warning. The zebra stopped when it saw a black mamba and broke the medicine container. Soon after, the wild dog’s wife died. The wild dog saw the zebra standing over the broken container and chased it, killing it. Since then, African wild dogs hunt zebras and impalas as revenge for failing to deliver the medicine that could have saved the wild dog’s wife.

In media

• A Wild Dog's Tale (2013) is a film about a painted dog named Solo, who makes friends with hyenas and jackals in Okavango. Solo hunts with them and helps feed and care for jackal pups.
• The Pale Pack, a part of Savage Kingdom Season 1 (2016), tells the story of Botswana African wild dog pack leaders Teemana and Molao. The film was written and directed by Brad Bestelink, narrated by Charles Dance, and aired on National Geographic.
• In the 2018 TV series Dynasties, episode 4, produced by Nick Lyon, Tait is the elderly leader of a painted wolf pack in Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park. Her pack was forced to leave their territory by Tait's daughter, Blacktip, who leads a rival pack needing more space for her large family of 32 wolves. Over Tait's lifetime, their shared area became smaller because human, hyena, and lion territories expanded. During a drought, Tait led her pack into the territory of a lion pride, while Blacktip's pack chased them for eight months. After Tait died, her pack performed a rare "singing," though the reason for this behavior is unknown.