DIngo

To past animal - the Dire Wolf -To future animal - The Night Dingo = __**The Dingo **__ =

By:Keith Lai

  The Dingo (Canis lupus dingo) is one of the most well-known mammals of Australia. This animal is found in every state of Australia, with the exception of Tasmania. They live throughout the outback of Australia, close to a source of water. It is a common misconception to think that the dingo is truly native to Australia. Recent research have shown that these may have been descendants of Asian dingoes that came to Australia through boats as a domestic dogs approximately 4000 years ago. There are also different types of dingoes, one of them being the Asian dingo which lives in the south eastern part of Asia. Dingoes’ fur varies in colour; from reddish brown to sandy coloured and in some places, even black (which is very rare). They have a bushy tail and, like wolves and other wild dogs, dingoes have large carnassial (teeth’s used for shearing flesh and bone) and canine teeth. Dingos are carnivores which eat foods such as [|kangaroos], Wallabies , cattle, Rats , rabbits and wombats. However, on Fraser island (an island next to Queensland, Australia) dingos have also been known to eat fish, insects and plants. In warmer regions Dingoes are usually nocturnal and hunt at night, but hunt during the day when in cooler areas. Dingos are generally shy towards humans, although they have been incidences where these animals have attacked humans.

 **Habitat**  The dingo is a highly adaptable animal and is found in every habitat and every state of Australia, with the exception of Tasmania. Dingoes live in different terrains such as alpine, woodland, grassland, outback and tropical regions. Dingos prefer to live next to forests, but due to the human intervention they were driven out. They cannot live anywhere without water and their homes are always near a close source of drinking water. They can live in dens, deserted rabbit holes, or hollowed out logs.  In the Australian outback temperatures can reach up to 40 ° (Celsius) and it is vast, remote, and arid. There is not much vegetation in the outback compared to the coast of Australia due to the lack of rainfall that comes to inland Australia. Plants such as the Desert pea, Sandalwood, Western Myall and the Andamooka Lily have all adapted to the heat and the climate of Australia.  In the outback of Australia it is not just the flora that has adapted to the environment. Animals such as the [|kangaroos], the wombats, koala and wallaby have adapted to Australia’s terrain though thousands of years. In recent years there have been a lot of foreign animals have migrated to Australia though European settlement. Introduced species that the Europeans introduced were cattle, the cane toad and the red fox. Dingoes tend to live either alone or in a small groups which consists of family members. Dingoes have a clearly defined territory which they rarely leave, protecting it from any predators (and other dingoes). However, some exceptions for when the territories may be shared with other dingos is when they co-operate together to hunt big preys such as [|kangaroos]. The size of the home territory varies according to the food supply. The dingo has adapted into the environment in many ways such as their skin being a cryptic colouration have super sensitive hearing that can hear things from very far away. Dingos also have rotatable wrists which can just about turn a door knob. In Australia here are many different types of cross breeds of Dingo/dog so now-a-days it is very common to see Dingo-like dogs in the wild. This also makes pure Dingoes extremely rare to find.

  **Structural Adaptation 1: Fur** he colour of Dingo's fur can vary according to where they live and what their terrains are. Their furs are typically reddish-brown but some are sandy-yellow, reddish-yellow or occasionally black and tan. They have adapted this type of colour so that they can camouflage and to blend in to the Australian outback environment. This helps them survive as the colour of the fur blends and camouflages with the environment, making it harder to spot so that they do not get spotted by predators. This camouflage also helps with catching prey as it is harder for the prey to see any incoming danger. All of the dingoes’ fur is very short, with the exception of his tail. This helps the dingoes to stay cool when temperatures get up to 40° (Celsius), giving the dingo a better endurance in hot climates than other members of the canine family. This adaptation was probably formed as the dingoes moved to different environments due to human intervention where temperatures were very high, such as the outback and the deserts of Australia and the dingo having to blend in to the environment to not get caught by predators. This adaptation has helped the dingo survive longer as with shorter fur they can perform better when catching prey and also with camouflaging fur increases its survival rate. **Structural Adaptation 2: Pointy ears**  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of the dingo's most vital tools is its ears. Dingoes' ears are permanently erect and their hearing is 20 times better than a normal human. The fifteen muscles that control the ears make the ears able to rotate 180 degrees, either simultaneously or independently. It can recognise the direction and distance of a sound in less than six-hundredths of a second. This helps them survive in the environment as their ears help them locate prey, notify them of incoming danger and be able to communicate with other dingoes from vast distances of up to 20km away. The dingoes’ ears also have a different function. They sweat from their paws and ears as they cannot sweat form anywhere else. They have developed this type of adaptation as they needed a way to tell if there were any danger near them and that they needed a way to track down prey efficiently.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Behavioural Adaptation 1: Hunting in groups.** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Although dingoes usually hunt alone, they also hunt in groups to catch bigger prey. Usually in a group, it consists of approximately 3-12 dingos. However, in mating season, lots of smaller groups join up to form one large group. When the groups join they all take care of their pups together and the groups will co-operate and hunt together. When dingoes hunt individually, they cannot catch big preys such as [|kangaroos] and wombats. However, when joined in a group the animals can catch these large preys, making them be able to consume more food and having a higher chance to survive. This adaptation could have been formed because of the lack of food that the dingos can find at mating season and need to catch larger prey for food. Also this adaptation could also have been formed as they cannot acquire enough food when they have to look after their pups. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">**Behavioural Adaptation 2: Howling** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">One of the ways that dingos communicate is the use of howling. Howls come in a lot of different variations and each variation of howling is used for different purposes. For example, the howl that they use to scare off predators and warn other dingoes of incoming danger sounds different to the howl used to call back puppies that are astray. Dingoes can also make a "wailing" type of sound which is mostly used when approaching a water hole to warn already present dingoes. Some scientists also believe that Dingoes can tell a size of other dingo packs far away without contact just by listening to the howls and the certain frequencies it makes when more dingos are howling together. This adaptation could have been developed because it is a simple and effective way to communicate with other dingoes and also to scare away threats/dangers. Without this adaptation, the dingo has more of a chance to be hunted as it has no way to scare preditors away. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">** Behavioural Adaptation 3: producing offspring only once a year. **  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">One adaptation that the dingoes have is that even though female comes to heat twice a year, they can only conceive once during any given year. Dingoes start to mate in the Autumn to early Winter (March to June) as Male dingoes' sperm count increases during those times. Gestation is between 61 and 69 days and litter sizes range between two and ten pups. One reason why scientist believes that they only do this once a year is because of the time it takes for a puppy to grow to be independent. Puppies usually become independent after four months, however they stay with their parents for at least a year to learn the essential skills to hunt and survive as they learn through observation. This adaptation was probably formed as they do not have enough time and energy to take care of one set of puppies and get a second set of puppies at the same time.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">** Bibliography ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify;">Animal Corner. (2010). //Dingo//. Retrieved June 8, 2011, from Wildlife Corner!: http://www.animalcorner.co.uk/wildlife/dingo.html Answers.com. (2010). //What is the dingos habitat?// Retrieved June 8, 2011, from Answers.com: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_dingos_habitat Aussie-Info. (2011). //Dingo//. Retrieved June 6, 2011, from Aussie-Info.com: http://www.aussie-info.com/identity/fauna/dingo.php Australian Fauna. (2006). //The dingo//. Retrieved June 12, 2011, from AustralianFauna: http://www.australianfauna.com/dingo.php Australain Zoo. (2011). //Dingo//. Retrieved June 16, 2011, from Australian Zoo: http://www.australiazoo.com.au/our-animals/amazing-animals/mammals/?mammal=dingoes&animal=dingo //Dingo//. (2004). Retrieved June 7, 2011, from Australia: http://www.home.no/australiaweb/Dingo.html Dog Breed Info Center. (2009). //Dingo//. Retrieved June 6, 2011, from Dog Breed Info: <http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/dingo.htm> //Fast facts about Dingos//. (2007). Retrieved June 16, 2011, from Dingo conversation: http://dingoconservation.com/facts.html Wikipedia. (2011). //Dingo//. Retrieved June 7, 2011, from Wikipidea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dingo