dingo animals

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.The dingo can be found in all areas of Australia - from harsh deserts to lush rain forests. The highly adaptable dingo is found in every habitat and every state of Australia, except Tasmania. In deserts, access to drinking water determines where the animal can live. Pure-bred Dingo numbers in the wild are declining as man encroaches deeper and deeper into wilderness areas, often accompanied by his domestic dog.In its natural state the dingo lives either alone or in a small group unlike many other wild dog species which may form packs. Dings have a clearly defined territory which they rarely leave and which they protect from other dings, but which may be shared with other dingos when they form a group to hunt larger prey. The size of the home territory varies according to the food supply. Dings hunt mainly at night. Groups are controlled by a dominant male. Members of a group maintain contact by marking rocks and trees within their territory, and by howling, particularly in the breeding season.Wild dingo are wary of humans and do not attack unless provoked. They will approach camps in the bush looking for food or perhaps out of curiosity. Dings can be kept as pets but should be obtained at a very young age to enable them to bond with humans. Even when raised from pups they never seem to lose their instinct for killing poultry or small animals. Not all states in Australia allow dings to be kept as pets and a permit is required. The export of dingos is illegal.