The Hunt
METHOD
Known as the ‘whistling hunter’, the dhole uses vocalization to coordinate a hunt with others (Alderton, 1994; Malcolm, 2004) and a howl to warn other packs of their presence. Cooperation enables dholes to capture larger prey such as reindeer in Siberia and wild sheep in Tibet as well as the smaller chital (deer) and sambar in India. (Malcolm, 2004) See THE BASICS. Like other predatorial animals, dholes travel crosswind in order to scan a large area for prey without creating a scent that betrays their location. This way, when a prey is spotted, they can change course and move upwind. (Fox, 1984) Using a method called “flush and rush”, dholes move as a group through an area where prey may hide and pursue any that they find, (rather than use complex hunting techniques). Their top speed is 35mph. Since running even 3.5 miles risks overheating, the chase will usually not last more than a third of a mile. (Malcolm, 2004) In contrast, another source notes dholes may follow prey for hours without tiring (Dhole). When in open areas, dholes must stampede and prey on the young or weak that cannot keep up with the rest of the group. (Malcolm, 2004) Unlike other canids that can bring down prey with a lethal bite, the dhole (lacking this bite) must use physical strength and coordination to obtain larger prey. (Alderton, 1994) Once captured- frequently by the lip (Malcolm, 2004)- the prey is disemboweled and dies from shock and blood loss (Karanth & Sunquist, 2000; Malcolm, 2004).
Unlike wolves and the lycaon who follow migratory prey, dholes’ prey stay in the same areas; thus the dhole has a much smaller home range. When there are young pups either on the hunt or in the den, adult dholes do not stray far from the den to make a kill. See COOPERATION.Hunting cooperatively as a group enables seizing a larger prey like Chital stag. The experimenters observed dholes defending kills from village dogs and jungle crows as well as stealing the kills of leopards. (Johnsingh, 1982) Alderton (1994) likewise noted the dholes defending their kills against other predators. Venkataraman (1998) found packs of dholes to remain close together except during a hunt when a few separated for no more than an hour. When there was a large kill during the morning hunt, the pack spent most of the remainder of the day in the spot of the kill until nighttime, interacting with one another at transition points but remaining ‘alone together’ for the rest of the time.
In the Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand, Grassman, Tewes, Silvy, & Kreetiyutanout (2005) tagged two male dholes and used radio tracking to determine the home range area traveled by each: 12 square km and 49.5 square km. The smaller range reflects a high density of prey in the grassland while the larger reflects the low density of prey in the forest. See THE BASICS. They concluded dholes are diurnal because daily activity measurements were 65% active- with only some nocturnal activity. Activity was the highest in the morning from 10-11 am and again in the afternoon from 3-5 pm. The dholes observed were more active in the dry (November-March) season than the wet (April-October) season, with the most activity in February and the least in May. (Grassman, Tewes, Silvy, & Kreetiyutanout, 2005)
VOCALIZATION
To communicate with other dholes, a dhole whistles in repetitive whine-like syllables between 553 and 936 Hz, raising its head with each syllable. Each cycle lasts between 300 and 900ms. By plotting cycle duration and fundamental frequency for a series of calls, Durbin (1998) established the existence of individual differences in the dhole’s whistle. It is likely that younger dholes with a smaller overall apparatus call the higher frequencies while the older adults call the lowest frequencies. It is not known how others who hear the whistle call use its information. (Durbin, 1998)
Volodina, Volodin, Isaeva, & Unck (2006) studied one of 11 call types in the dhole termed the “biphonic yap-squeak”, consisting of both a low- and high-frequency component. Experimenters found that the biphonic yap-squeak stimulates higher chance of individual recognition than the yap or squeak alone. The low-frequency allows for location information while the high-frequency allows for individual discrimination; the two together provide information about orientation and an even higher rate of individual discrimination.
This website was completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Biology 323, Animal Behavior, at Davidson College in the Spring Semester 2007.