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Mammal. The dingo is a wild dog, thought by scientists to be the descendent of a domestic dog brought to Australia five thousand years ago from what is now Indonesia. Dingoes are the largest land-dwelling carnivores in Australia. When hunting, they only kill enough to feed their packs. Dingoes do not bark, but they are not mute. They have a complex howling vocabulary, they snort, and they also purr. Dingoes tend to mate for life. They form small packs in which the dominant pair become the breeders. The entire pack helps care for the young. Dingoes can turn their heads almost 360 degrees to track other animals, such as birds in flight. |
| Scientific
Name |
Lifespan |
| Canis lupus dingo |
10 years, 13 in captivity |
| Diet |
| Carnivore. Kangaroos, rabbits, livestock (cattle), as well as small reptiles, insects, birds and rodents. |
| Predators and Threats |
| Other dingoes, domestic dogs, jackals, and humans. |
| Habitat |
| Edge of forests that abut onto grassland, semi-arid land. Australia (except Tasmania). |
