The Dingo (Canis lupus dingo) is a large Australian canine featured in the Australia Pack DLC for Planet Zoo.
Zoopedia Description
General[]
Population in the Wild: Unknown
The dingo (or Canis lupus dingo) is a large subspecies of canid that lives throughout Australia. With sandy-coloured fur, a white underside, pointed ears and a long, blunt snout, the dingo is skinny in appearance, averaging between 52 and 60cm in height and measuring 1.2 to 1.5m long. They weigh between 14 and 19kg, with males being slightly larger than females. They are opportunistic predators but also scavengers, resulting in a varied diet of mammals, birds, reptiles, carrion, fruit and vegetables.
Dingoes are listed as vulnerable, mainly due to the fact that their gene pool is becoming diluted through interbreeding with domestic dogs. They are also treated as pests throughout much of Australia and are likely to be killed by farmers protecting their livestock. As a result, the species is protected in National Parks and nature reserves but otherwise are often subject to control measures by humans.
Social[]
Dingoes are social animals that usually live in family packs, although may also live alone or in groups of 2 or 3 unrelated individuals. An average pack contains an alpha male and alpha female, their juvenile offspring, and a litter of pups that less than a year old.
Reproduction[]
In a dingo pack, only the alpha male and alpha female have young, and the pair are monogamously bonded and mate for life. Their pups stay with them until they reach sexual maturity. Solitary dingoes that have just left their family pack will look to meet another lone dingo of the opposite sex, before establishing a territory together. If they find a partner, they mate during the breeding season and reproduce a litter of pups once a year, remaining together for life.
Animal Care[]
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PREFERRED OBJECTS | |
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Processed Meat Ā· Whole Carcass Ā· Whole Carcass and Supplements | |
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FEEDING STATIONS | |
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FOOD ENRICHMENT |
HABITAT ENRICHMENT |
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COMPATIBLE ANIMALS |
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Dingo doesn't benefit from sharing space with other species. |
Trivia[]
Zoopedia Fun Facts[]
- A 2021 study suggests that unusual colorations are naturally occurring in pure dingoes, such as white, black, or brindle individuals. Previously, these were assumed to be a result of hybridization with domestic dogs.
- The dingo is thought to have been introduced into Australia by seafarers 4,000 years ago. It is hypothesized that it originated from a dog like the New Guinea singing dog
- The āDingo Fenceā in South-East Australia is 5,614 km long and was built to protect sheep from dingoes
- Dingo pups will often be fed and cared for by the other members of the pack as well as their parents
- Dingoes have very flexible wrists that enable them to clutch prey; this also gives them the ability to open doors and gates that dogs or wolves could not get through
Gallery[]
