The Basics
CATEGORIZATION
The dhole belongs in the sub-family Simocyoninae (which also includes the bush dog and Cape hunting dog) (Fox, 1971) because it has smaller first molars than the Caninae family (Alderton, 1994), and further in the genus cuon, species alpinus (Fox, 1971).
LOCATION
One can find the Asiatic wild dog, known commonly as the dhole, in southern Siberia, India, and central Asia as well as on the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Java (Johnsingh, 1982; Alderton, 1994; Malcolm, 2004). Dholes live in forests, thick scrub, and alpine areas. Because of the presence of man, these areas have shown drastic shrinkage, thus making the dog a vulnerable species. (Malcolm, 2004) See THREATS. Both that the dholes’ numbers are waning and that it evades interaction with humans make it a difficult species to observe and research. Many reside in reserves and exhibit varying behavior depending on the resources available to them in each specific location.
APPEARANCE
Johnsingh (1982) noted their consistent rusty sand color with bushy black tails while Alderton (1994) found coloration can vary from brown-grey to mahogany for most of the body with possible black or white-tipped hair on the back and a white patch on the throat to chest. Dholes in colder regions have longer, thicker coats for insulation (Alderton, 1994). Fox (1971) likewise notes their varying physical appearances depending on region as well as their characteristic short faces. About 53 inches in total length (Johnsingh, 1982) and ranging from 16 to 21 inches tall at the shoulder, dholes demonstrate slight sexual dimorphism with males weighing on average 44 lbs and females 28 lbs (Alderton, 1994). Like other canids, dholes have a keen sense of smell, acute hearing, and can see relatively well in the dark since they possess a greater rod to cone ratio than do humans (Malcolm, 2004).
DIET
By examining scats and prey carcasses, Grassman, Tewes, Silvy, & Kreetiyutanout (2005) found dholes eat muntjak, sambar, wild pig, and hog deer (all of which are ungulates). That dholes can capture and bring down such large ungulate prey indicates group hunting strategy. See THE HUNT. While dholes prefer ungulates: primarily the reindeer in Siberia, wild sheep in Tibet, and the smaller chital (deer) and sambar in India, these prey are neither consistently available nor abundant. They will then eat rodents, vegetables, fruit and insects, steering clear of readily available farmstock and humans. (Alderton, 1994)
PREY AVAILABILITY
Still, the social spacing of the dhole remains largely dependent on the availability of prey, with the dog’s preference for larger ungulates. It is because of this uncertain availability that their possession of a territory or utilization of a home range remains questionable. It may not be possible to defend an area large enough to encompass both a consistent source of water and the ranges of the animals on which they prey. Researchers have reported dholes marking territory (15 to 34 square miles) with urine and feces (Postanowicz, 2007) suggesting a defended space. Johnsingh (1982) reports almost all the kills he observed took place in a core area of 20 square km, a territory protected from dholes in other packs. See THE HUNT. Yet Alderton (1994) found dholes do not mark a territory with feces or urine as do other canids but instead have fecal sites away from the den used by multiple dogs. This latter observation supports their having a home range- an undefended space- in response to possibly sparse and mobile prey. Both Karanth & Sunquist (2000) and Alderton (1994) note this range as approximately 25 square kilometers. It is possible that dholes possess both a core defended area that includes their dens and primary hunting grounds while utilizing a larger home range in order to find more prey when necessary. In either case, they cover nearly the same amount of space according to this sampling of researchers.
DENS
The den, a location for sleeping and protectively raising young, is a vital component of a dhole’s habitat. Females choose den sites in scrub or dry river banks (Alderton, 1994) both with a view and near water (Johnsingh, 1982). Dug into the ground or between rocks, dens have one or several entrances with one or more cavernous spaces and may be used by multiple groups (Johnsingh, 1982; Alderton, 1994). Other animals, including at times prey, may share these sites. Dholes keep dens clean by leaving the remains of a kill outside and by the mothers’ eating the cubs’ feces (Alderton, 1994; Johnsingh, 1982). This cleanliness avoids flea infestation which would cause the need to move denning location (Alderton, 1994). In the dholes he observed, Johnsingh (1982) noted four dens located 80 m to 600 m apart from one another; dholes will also change their den location when threatened by humans or predators.
This website was completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Biology 323, Animal Behavior, at Davidson College in the Spring Semester 2007.