African wild dog ( Lycaon pictus ), also known as African hunting dog , dog painted Africa , hunting dogs painted , or painting wolves , are the original wild goat of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest of its relatives in Africa, and the only surviving member of the genus Lycaon , distinguished from Canis by its fewer toes and teething , which is very specialized for hypercarnivorous diets. It is classified as endangered by the IUCN, as it has disappeared from many of its original ranges. The current population has been estimated at about 39 subpopulations containing 6,600 adults, only 1,400 fully adult. This population decline is ongoing, due to habitat fragmentation, human abuse, and disease outbreaks.
African wild dogs are very social animals, living in packets with separate dominant hierarchies for men and women. Uniquely among social carnivores, it is females rather than males spreading from birth packs after sexually mature, and young ones are allowed to feed first on carrion. This species is a daily hunter special antelope, who was caught with their chase down. Like any canida, he spews food for his children, but this action is also extended to adults, to the rock of the social life of African wild dogs. It has several natural predators, although lions are the main source of death, and spotted hyenas often become kleptoparasit.
Although not so prominent in African folklore or cultures like other African carnivores, he has been respected in some hunter-gatherer societies, especially those of predominantly Egyptian and San peoples.
Video African wild dog
Initial account and name
The earliest written reference for the species comes from Oppian, who writes about thoa , a hybrid between a wolf and a leopard, which resembles the previous and the last in color. Solinus's Collectanea rerum memorabilium from the 3rd century AD describes a colorful wolf-like animal with an Ethiopian original mane.
This species was first described scientifically in 1820 by Coenraad Temminck, after examining specimens taken from the coast of Mozambique. He named the beast Hyaena picta , mistakenly classifies it as a hyena species. It was later recognized as canid by Joshua Brookes in 1827, and renamed Lycaon tricolor. The basic word from Lycaon is Greek ??????? ( lykaios ), which means "like a wolf". The specific nickname of pictus (Latin for "painted"), derived from the original picta , then returned to it, in accordance with the International Rules of Taxonomy Taxonomy.
English has several names for Lycaon pictus, including painted lycaon, African wild dog, Cape hunting dog, and painted dog or painted wolf. This last name is promoted by some conservationists as a way of rebranding species, because "wild dogs" have some negative connotations that can damage their image. However, the name "wild African dog" is still widely used.
Maps African wild dog
Taxonomy and evolution
The oldest Lycaon pictus fossil was 200,000 years ago and is found in HaYonim Cave, Israel. The evolution of African wild dogs is poorly understood because of the scarcity of fossil findings. Some authors consider the extinct subgenus Canis named Xenocyon as the ancestor of both the genus Lycaon and the genus Cuon , living throughout Eurasia and Africa from the Pleistocene Early to early middle Pleistocene. Others suggested that Xenocyon should be reclassified as Lycaon. Species Canis (Xenocyon) falconeri share no first metacarpal in African wild dogs (dewclaw), although the growth of teeth is still relatively unspecialized. This connection is rejected by one writer because C. (X.) missing metacarpal falconeri is a poor indication of phylogenetic proximity to African wild dogs, and teeth that are too different to imply an ancestor. Another ancestral candidate is Plio-Pleistocene L. sekowei South Africa, on the basis of different accessory layers in the premolars and anterior accessory cusps in the lower premolar teeth. This adaptation is found only in Lycaon among living canids, which shows the same adaptation to the hypercarnivorous diet. L. sekowei has not lost the first absent metacarpal in L. pictus , and stronger than the modern species, has 10% larger teeth.
Paleontologist George G. Simpson placed L. pictus in the subfamily of Simocyoninae, along with Cuon alpinus and Speothos venaticus , on the basis of the three species having the same carnassials -the same trend. This grouping is disputed by Juliet Clutton-Brock, who argues that, in addition to the teeth, there is too little similarity between the three species to guarantee classify them in one subfamily. The species' molecular genetics show that it is closely related to the genus Canis . Phylogenetic studies placed L. pictus and Cuon alpinus into a "wolf-like canids" clade with existing members of Canis , including C. simensis, C. aureus , C. latrans , C. lupus and more basal C. adustus and C. mesomelas . Subspecies
In 2005, five subspecies were recognized by MSW3:
However, although species are genetically diverse, these subspecific names are not universally accepted. Ever thought that East Africa and South Africa L. pictus populations were genetically different, based on a small sample. Newer studies with larger numbers of samples indicate that there has been an extensive intermix between East and South African peoples in the past. Some unique nuclear and mitochondrial alleles are found in South Africa and the population of northeastern Africa, with transition zones covering Botswana, Zimbabwe and southern-eastern Tanzania between the two. The West Africans L. pictus population may have a unique haplotype, so it may be a completely different subspecies.
Physical description
African wild dogs are the bulkyest and most sturdy made of African canids. The species stands 60-75 cm (24-30 inches) in high shoulders, and weighs 20-25 kg (44-55 pounds) in East Africa and up to 30 kg (66 pounds) in southern Africa. Women are generally 3-7% smaller than men. Compared to members of the genus Canis , African wild dogs are relatively slender and tall, with large ears and less dewclaws. The two middle toepads are usually fused. The teeth are also different from the Canis teeth by the last lower molar degeneration, the narrowness of the canine teeth, and the large proportional premolars, which are the greatest relative to carnivorous body size other than hyenas. The lower carnassial M1 heel is crested with a single blade-like cusp, which increases the shear capacity of the teeth and thus the speed at which the prey can be consumed. This feature, termed a "trenchant heel", is shared with two other canids: Asian dusk and South American bush dogs. The skull is relatively shorter and wider than any other skull.
African wild dog hair is very different from other feathers, which are made up entirely of stiff feathers with no undercoat. It gradually loses its feathers as it gets older, with older specimens almost naked. Extreme color variations, and can function in visual identification, such as African wild dogs can recognize each other at a distance of 50-100 meters. There are several geographical variations in the color of the mantle, with north-eastern African specimens tending to be black with small white and yellow patches, while South Africans are more brightly colored, sporting a mixture of brown, black and white coat. Most patterns of species mantle occur on the trunk and legs. There is little variation in facial markings, with a black muzzle, gradually graying into brown on the cheeks and forehead. The black line extends to the forehead, turning into a blackish brown on the back of the ear. Some sports specimens mark a brown teardrop shape under the eyes. The back of the head and neck is brown or yellow. White hoods occasionally occur behind the front foot, with some specimens having full white front legs, chest and throat. The tail is usually white at the end, black in the middle and brown on the base. Some specimens do not have wholly white edges, or may have black fur below the white tip. This mantle pattern is not symmetrical, with the left side of the body often having different marks from the right side.
Behavior
Social and reproductive behavior
African wild dogs have very strong social ties, stronger than sympatric lions and leopard hyenas; hence, solitary life and hunting are extremely rare within species. It lives in a permanent package of 2-27 adults and one-year-old puppies. Average package sizes in Kruger and Masai Mara National Parks are 4-5 adults, while packages in Moremi and Selous contain an average of 8-9. However, larger packages have been observed, and the temporary aggregation of hundreds of individuals may have converged in response to seasonal migration of large springbok flocks in South Africa. Men and women have separate dominant hierarchies, with the latter usually led by the oldest woman. Men can be led by the oldest men, but these can be replaced by younger specimens; thus, some packages may contain an old man's pack leader. The dominant pair usually monopolists breed. This species differs from most other social species by the fact that males remain in the Christmas package, while females spread (patterns also found in primates such as gorillas, chimpanzees and red colobus). Furthermore, men in packets tend to exceed women 3: 1. Spread females will join other packages and expel some females occupants associated with other pack members, thus preventing inbreeding and allowing displaced individuals to find new packages from them own and multiply. Males seldom disperse, and when they do, they are always rejected by other packs that already contain men. Although arguably the most social kanid, this species lacks the complex facial expressions and body language found in gray wolves, possibly because of the less hierarchical social structure of African wild dogs. Furthermore, while complex facial expressions are important for wolves in rebuilding bonds after the long period of separation from their family group, they are not necessary for African wild dogs, which remain together for longer periods.
The population of African wild dogs in East Africa does not seem to have a steady maintenance season, whereas in South Africa it usually breeds during the April-July period. During estrus, females are accompanied by one male, guarding other members of the same sex. The mating tie marriage character in most canids has been reported to be absent or very short (less than a minute) at L. pictus , possibly adaptation to the greater prevalence of predators in the environment. The gestation period lasts 69-73 days, with intervals between each pregnancy averaging 12-14 months. African wild dogs produce more puppies than any other canid, with children containing about 6-16 puppies, with an average of 10, thus indicating that a female can produce enough young to form new packets each year. Since the amount of food needed to feed more than two liters is not possible with the average package, breeding is very limited to dominant females, which can kill the subordinate puppies. After delivery, the mother stays close to the puppies in the nest, while the rest of the pack hunts. He usually expels the group members who approach the puppies until the last one is large enough to eat solid food at the age of 3-4 weeks. The puppies leave the nest around the age of three weeks, and feed them outside. The puppies are weaned at the age of five weeks, at which time they eat meat spewed by other pack members. At the age of seven weeks, the puppies begin to look mature, with leg elongation, snout, and real ears. As soon as the puppies reach the age of 8-10 weeks, the package leaves the nest, and the young follow the adults during the hunt. The youngest package members are allowed to eat first on murder, the privilege that ends after they become children.
Communications sneeze and "vote"
The population of African wild dogs in the Okovango delta has been observed "exerting" before they start hunting. Not every rally produces a departure, but departure becomes more likely when more individual dogs "sneeze". The sneezing is characterized by sharp shortness of breath through the nostrils. When members of the dominant married couple sneeze first, the group is much more likely to leave. If the dominant dog starts, about 3 sneezing guarantees the departure. When the dog is less dominant the first sneeze, if enough other people also sneeze (~ 10) then the group will go hunting. The researchers assert that wild dogs in Botswana, "use special vocalizations (sneezing) along with varying quorum response mechanisms in the decision making process [to go hunting at certain times]".
Crossbreeding
Since L. pictus is mostly present in fragmented small populations, its existence is endangered. Inbreeding avoidance through pair selection is characteristic of the species and has potentially important consequences for population persistence. Inbreeding is rare in birth packets. Inbreeding is probably avoided because it leads to a recessive, destructive allele expression. Computer-population simulations show that all populations that continue to avoid incestuous marriages will become extinct within 100 years due to unrelated pair unavailability. Thus the impact of decreasing the number of unrelated matching pairs will have a severe demographic impact on the survival of small wild dog populations in the future.
Hunting and feeding behavior
African wild dogs are medium-sized antelope package hunters. These and cheetahs are the only major African diurnal predators. L. pictus hunts by stealthily approaching the prey and chasing it in pursuit of clocking up to 66 kilometers per hour (41 mph) for 10 to 60 minutes. The average pursuit usually runs only 2 km, during which time the prey animals, if large, are repeatedly bitten in the legs, abdomen and anus to stop walking, while smaller prey is only pulled down and torn. L. pictus hunts different strategies according to prey, with wildebeest rushing in to panic herds and isolating susceptible individuals, whereas terrestrial antelope species, which defend themselves by walking in wide circles, are caught by cutting off their escape routes. Medium-sized prey is often killed within 2-5 minutes, while larger prey such as wildebeest can take half an hour to be pulled down. Male wild dogs usually perform the task of catching dangerous prey, like a wild boar, near the nose. Small prey such as rodents, rabbits and birds are hunted themselves, with dangerous prey such as cane mice and porcupines are killed with a quick bite and well placed to avoid injury. Small prey is eaten entirely, while large animals are stripped of their meat and organs, with the skin, head, and skeleton remaining intact. African wild dogs are fast eaters, with a pack capable of consuming Thompson gazelle in 15 minutes. In the wild, the species consumption rate is 1.2-5.9 kg per African wild dog per day, with a pack of 17-43 specimens in East Africa that have been recorded killing an average of three animals per day. Unlike most other social predators, these animals will spew food for adults as well as young family members. Children big enough to eat solid food are given top priority on killing, eating even before the dominant spouse; Adult dogs help to feed and protect puppies. African wild dogs are very successful hunters. Hunting success varies with prey type, vegetation cover and pack size, but African hunting dogs tend to be very successful often with more than 60% of their pursuits ending in murder, sometimes up to 90%. This is much higher than the lions (27-30%) and hyenas (25-30%) success rate is likely but African Wild dogs generally lose their killing success to two big, African predators.
Ecology
Habitat
African wild dogs are mostly found in savanna and arid zones, generally avoiding forest areas. This preference may be related to animal hunting habits, which require an open area that does not obstruct sight or obstruct pursuit. Nevertheless, it will travel through shrubs, forests and mountains in the pursuit of prey. African wildlife populations in forests have been identified, including one in Harenna Forest, wet mountain forests up to 2400m in the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia. There is at least one note of the package seen at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. In Zimbabwe, this species has been recorded at an altitude of 1,800 meters. In Ethiopia, this species has been found at altitude; some packets of live wild dogs have been seen at altitudes from 1,900 meters to 2,800 meters, and a dead individual was discovered in June 1995 at 4,050 meters at Sanetti Plateau.
Diet
In East Africa, the most common prey is the Thomson gazelle, while in Central and South Africa the targets are impala, reedbuck, kob, lechwe, and springbok. The food is not limited to these animals, as it will also hunt for wildebeest, wild boar, oribi, duiker, waterbuck, gazelle Grant, zebra, bushbuck, ostrich, African buffalo (especially calf), and smaller prey like dik dik -dik, rabbit, spring bunnies and sugarcane mice. Certain packages in the Serengeti are specialized in zebra hunting as a preference for other prey. One packet is recorded for occasionally preyed on a bat-eared fox, rolling around in a carcass before eating it. African wild dogs rarely scavenge, but occasionally observed the corresponding carcasses of leopard hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, and lions, as well as captured animals meshes.
Enemies and competitors
Lions dominate African wild dogs, and are a major source of death for adults and puppies. African wild dog population densities are low in areas where lions are more abundant. One pack reintroduced to Etosha National Park was destroyed by a lion. The population that fell on the lions in Ngorongoro Crater during the 1960s resulted in an increase in the appearance of African wild dogs, simply because their numbers declined after the lions recovered. However, there are some cases reported by old and wounded lions that fall prey to African wild dogs. Sometimes, packets of wild dogs have been observed defending the pack members being attacked by a single lion, sometimes successfully. A pack in Okavango in March 2016 was photographed by a safari guide who launched a "marvelous fight" against a lioness who attacked a sub-dog on an impala murder, forcing the lioness to retreat despite the subadult dog's death. Naturalist John McNutt and Lesley Bogg McNutt, founder of the Botswana Predator Conservation Trust, observed a pack of 4 wild dogs desperately defending an old adult male from a male lion who attacked him while killing; the dog survived and rejoined the pack.
Leopard hyenas are important kleptoparasites, and will follow packets of African wild dogs to meet their killing needs. They will usually check the areas where African wild dogs rest and eat whatever food they find. When approaching an African wild dog in a dead place, a solitary hyena will approach it carefully and attempt to take off with a piece of meat unnoticed, even though they may be surrounded. When operating in groups, leopard hymen are more successful in hijacking African wild dogs, although a greater tendency to help each other puts them at a gain against leopard hyenas, which rarely work in unison. The cases of African wild dogs scavenging from leopard hyenas are rare. Although the package of African wild dogs can easily repel solitary hyenas, overall, the relationship between the two species is a unilateral benefit for hyenas, with the density of African wild dogs negatively correlated with high hyena populations.
Range
African wild dogs have once ranged from deserts and mountainous areas in many sub-Saharan Africa, absent in the driest desert areas and lowland forests. This species has been wiped out extensively in North and West Africa, and has been greatly reduced in Central Africa and northeastern Africa. The majority of species populations now occur in South Africa and southern Eastern Africa.
Status
North Africa
This species is very rare in North Africa, and any remaining populations may have high conservation value, as they may be genetically distinct from others of the population L. pictus.
West Africa
This species lives poorly in most of West Africa, with the only potentially livable population that occurs in Niokolo-Koba National Park Senegal. African wild dogs are sometimes seen in other parts of Senegal, as well as in Guinea and Mali.
Central Africa
This species performs poorly in Central Africa, extinct in Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Congo. The only viable population in the Central African Republic, Chad and particularly in Cameroon.
East Africa
L. pictus' s in East Africa is incomplete, has been eradicated in Uganda and most of Kenya. Small populations occupy areas that include southern Ethiopia, southern Sudan, northern Kenya, and possibly northern Uganda. This species may still occur in small numbers in southern Somalia, and is almost certainly extinct in Rwanda, Burundi, and Eritrea. However, there are still many in southern Tanzania, especially in Selous Game Reserve and Mikumi National Park, both of which are occupied by what could be the largest in Africa. pictus population.
South Africa
South Africa contains many populations, including Botswana north, northeast Namibia and western Zimbabwe. In South Africa, about 400 specimens occur in Kruger National Park. Zambia has two large populations, one in Kafue National Park, and another in the Luangwa Valley. However, this species is rare in Malawi, and possibly extinct in Angola and Mozambique.
In African culture
The artistic depictions of African wild dogs stand out in cosmetic palettes and other objects of the Egyptian predinational period, possibly symbolizing order over chaos, as well as the transition between wild (represented by African gold wolves) and domestic (represented by dogs). Predinastic hunters may also be identified with African wild dogs, as the Hunter Palette shows they wear animal tails on their belts. In the dynastic period, illustrations of African wild dogs became underrepresented, and the symbolic role of these animals was largely taken over by wolves.
According to Enno Littmann, people from the Tigray Region in Ethiopia believe that wounding a wild dog with a spear will result in the animal dipping its tail into the wound and flicking the blood to its attacker, causing instant death. For this reason, Tigrean shepherds will repel stray dog ​​attacks with pebbles rather than with guns.
African wild dogs also play an important role in the mythology of San people in South Africa. In one story, stray dogs are indirectly related to the origin of death, since rabbits are cursed by the moon for ever being hunted by wild African dogs after the rabbits reject the promise of the moon to allow all living beings to be reborn after death. Another story is the god Cagn take revenge on other gods by sending a group of men who turned into stray African dogs to attack them, though the winning battle is never revealed. San of Botswana sees African wild dogs as the main hunter, and has traditionally believed that shamans and pharmacists can transform themselves into stray dogs. Some San hunters will smear body fluids of African wild dogs on their feet before hunting, believing that doing so will give them the courage and agility of the animals. However, the species is not prominent in San art, with the only noteworthy example is a decoration on Mount Erongo showing a hunting package of two antelopes.
See also
- African Wild Dog Conservancy
- Botswana Wild Dog Research Project
- Harnas Wildlife Foundation
- The Zoological Institute
- Painted Dog Conservation
- Wildlife Conservation Network
References
Further reading
- Githiru et al. (2007). African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) from NE Kenya: Recent note and conservation issues. Zoology Department Research Report. National Museum of Kenya.
- Van Lawick, H. & amp; Goodall, J. (1971). Killer Not Guilty . Houghton Mifflin Company Boston
- Wozencraft, W. C. (November 2005). D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder (eds), World Mammal Species (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBNÃ, 0-8018-8221-4. Bucknell.edu
External links
- painteddog.org, Dog Painted Conservation Web Site
- painteddog.co.uk/, UK Painting Conservation Site
- African Wild Dog Conservancy
- African Wild Dog Watch
- Wild Dog Conservation in Zimbabwe
- Namibia Nature Foundation Wild Dog Project: Conservation of African wild dogs in Namibia
- African wild dogs: Summary of Wildlife at the African Wildlife Foundation
- Zambia Carnival Program
- Save African wild dogs
- Wildentrust.org
- Painting Dog Conservation (conservation organization)
- Photos, videos, and information from ARKive
- wild ibream dog project
- Wild African Dog - Dog Conservation Painted on WCN Wildlife Conservation Network
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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