Canis lupus dingo

Family: Canidae, the dog family, which has about 35 non-extinct species worldwide including dogs, wolves, foxes, and jackals.

Size: Head-to-body 86-100 cm. Tail 26-36 cm.

Distribution: Most of Australia except for: Absent in all of TAS, Absent in most of VIC, Absent in the Southeast part of SA, Absent in a small part of Southwest WA, Absent in most of NSW except they can be found in a stip a few hundred km wide along the coast of NSW, Absent in a small part of Southern QLD.

Status: Pure breeeds are endangererd due to interbreeding with domestic dogs which happens often.

Habitat: Wide variety

References: Menkhorst and Knight.

About the Dingo

I've seen a pack of wild dogs, which the locals referred to as "dingoes", in the lower Blue Mountains West of Sydney NSW. There were two black ones and three or four sandy-coloured ones, all walking in single file. They crossed the track I was on about 50-100 metres in front of me. It was about 5:15 in the afternoon, and the local garbage tip closed at either 5 or 5:30, and they were headed straight for the tip as if they knew it was closing time when all the people would be gone. They didn't even turn their heads to look at me. It was only a few hundred metres down the track from houses, and I spoke to some of the locals. They all knew about them but said they hadn't seen that many together before.

Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 2352 x 1605.

Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 2784 x 1848.

Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 2787 x 1989.

Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 3008 x 2000.

Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 2784 x 1848.

Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 4236 x 2808.

Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 3024 x 2012.

Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 3024 x 2012.

See Also

Australian Frogs
Australian Fish
Australian Spiders and Their Faces

Return to Australian Mammals