African wild dogs study reveals that the DNA test of their faeces shows about eating habits

The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), also called painted dog and Cape hunting dog, is a wild canine is most extraordinary yet endangered animal, native to sub-Saharan Africa. Its scientific name, Lycaon pictus, means “painted wolf,” referring to the animal’s irregular, mottled coat, which features patches of red, black, brown, white, and yellow fur and has its own unique coat pattern, and all have big, rounded ears.

It is estimated that there are approximately 6,600 adults (1,400 of them mature) found in 39 subpopulations, all imperiled by habitat fragmentation, human persecution, and disease outbreaks. As the largest subpopulation likely numbers fewer than 250 individuals, the African wild dog has been classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1990.

DNA test shows the behavioural and eating habits of the population of African wild dogs, some of them are closely monitored by the scientists for better understanding of their eating habits and managed properly for their conservation efforts as they are an endangered species, left around 6600 mammals.

Researchers found that using DNA metabarcoding showed the African wild dog eating different types of animals, including impala, and Cape here that can be better understand to conserve these endangered mammals. We didn’t know much before that wild dogs eat these animals.

Taxonomy and Evolutionary History

The earliest African wild dog fossil comes from 200,000 years ago and has been discovered at HaYonim Cave in Israel. The history of the evolution of the African wild dog is limited due to a lack of available fossil discoveries. Some writers view the extinct Canis subgenus Xenocyon as the ancestor to both the genus Lycaon and the genus Cuon, which ranged throughout Eurasia and Africa during the Early Pleistocene to early Middle Pleistocene. Others suggest that Xenocyon must be reclassified to Lycaon.

The African wild dog is a member of the Canidae family, to which wolves, foxes, and domestic dogs belong. It is, however, the sole survivor of the Lycaon genus, differing from other canids in genetics as well as behavior. Its scientific name, Lycaon pictus, is “painted wolf,” an apt name for its beautifully mottled fur. African wild dogs have four toes per foot while other dogs have five toes, it is an evolutionary adaptation that enhances their speed and endurance for long-distance hunting.

 Their closest relatives are considered to be the dholes and the jackals, although their lineage split apart many millions of years ago. It has been determined through genetic analysis that African wild dogs are low in genetic diversity and therefore especially susceptible to environmental changes and disease.

Physical Characteristics and Adaptations

African wild dogs are identified by their patchy coats, which display a crisscross combination of black, white, yellow, and brown patches. The multicolored coat acts as camouflage under the dotted shade of grasslands and forests, allowing them to attack the prey unseen.
Their physique is adapted for speed and endurance, with long legs, a slender body, and great, rounded ears that amplify their hearing. Wild dogs are unlike lions or leopards in being pursuit hunters, running up to 60 km/h (37 mph) over a number of kilometers until they wear down their quarry. Their teeth are adapted for cutting, not crushing, so that they can rip into flesh quickly once they have made their kill.
Males are marginally larger than females, weighing between 20–30 kg (44–66 lbs), while females average 18–25 kg (40–55 lbs). They reach approximately 60–75 cm (24–30 in) high at the shoulder, so they are medium-sized carnivores—smaller than a lion but bigger than a jackal.

Social Structure and Pack Behavior

African wild dogs are the most socialized carnivores, residing in close-knit groups of 5 to 20. These groups are governed by an alpha-pair of dominant individuals, the sole male and female to reproduce, while the others help in hunting and the care of pups. Contrary to wolves, where males usually disperse, wild dog packs have females disperse to form new groups, but the males stay in their natal group.
Pack communication is intricate, and they use a combination of sounds, body posture, and physical contact. To coordinate for the hunt, they make high-pitched “twittering” sounds, and sneezes which act as a vote where the group is trying to decide whether to move or hunt. They play an integral role in social bonding, where adults frequently simulate battles and groom one another to affirm bonds.
African wild dogs behave like nomadic herders and travel large areas of between 500 and 1,500 km² in search of food. They generally avoid fighting with other groups, instead demarcating their territory with feces and urine. They do not howl like wolves, but use more subtle vocal signals to communicate with their group.

Subspecies of African wild dog

Cape Wild Dog

Scientific name- Lycaon pictus pictus

They are mainly found in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. Cape wild dogs have bright, contrasting coat colors with large black patches and bold white markings on their body and are slightly larger compared to other populations and are now critically endangered. They generally prefer open savannas and semi-arid regions.

East African Wild Dog

Scientific name- Lycaon pictus lupinus

They have more yellow and brown tones in their coat with fewer black markings. East African Wild Dog has a smaller body size, lives in dense woodlands and montane habitats, but it remains very few in numbers, remaining in fragmented groups in Tanzania’s Selous and Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau.

West African Wild Dog

Scientific name- Lycaon pictus manguensis

They are found in Western African parts of Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon. They are smaller, more elusive, extremely rare as it is possibly extinct in the wild, and adapted to savanna mosaics forests with a darker, more uniform coat with fewer white patches.

Somali Wild Dog

Scientific name- Lycaon pictus somalicus

They are generally found in the Horn of Africa (Somalia, eastern Ethiopia). Somali Wild Dog have short, coarse fur with a reddish-brown hue, and are adapted to the arid climate, with the current status of extinction since 1980s.

Hunting Strategies and Diet

African wild dogs are hypercarnivorous, i.e., meat constitutes 70–90% of their diet. They mainly prey on medium-sized antelopes like impalas, gazelles, and springboks, but they will also attack warthogs, hares, and even fawns of wildebeests when the chance presents itself. Their hunting pattern is among the most effective in the animal kingdom, with a success rate between 60–80%, well above lions (30%) and cheetahs (50%).

Hunts are extremely cooperative, with pack members working together to isolate and wear out prey. Unlike leopards, which stalk, or lions, which bulldoze, wild dogs employ endurance running, pursuing their quarry for miles until it drops from exhaustion. When the kill is complete, wild dogs show extraordinary altruism: pups, injured pack members, and lactating females dine first, guaranteeing the survival of the weakest.

Conservation Status and Threats

The African wild dog is classified as Endangered by the IUCN Red List, with populations continuing to decline. The primary threats they face are:

• Habitat Loss and Fragmentation
  Agriculture expansion, urbanization, and road development have fragmented their habitats, separating packs and diminishing gene pools. While lions or hyenas can occupy fragmented territories, wild dogs need extensive, contiguous areas to live, so habitat loss makes them particularly susceptible to extinction.
  
• Human-Wildlife Conflict
  Wild dogs are commonly viewed by farmers as a danger to livestock and are killed as revenge. As compared to leopards and cheetahs, wild dogs do not cope well with human-dominated landscapes, and they consequently have repeated conflicts.
  
• Infectious Diseases
  Rabies and canine distemper, spread by domestic dogs, have killed off whole packs in certain areas. Vaccination schemes are essential in averting new outbreaks.
  
• Road Accidents and Snaring
  As roads slice through wild dog territories, many are struck by cars. Also, they frequently become victims of wire snares laid by bushmeat poachers, dying slow, agonizing deaths.
  
  

Conservation

The organization African Wild Dog Conservancy started working in 2003 to conserve the African wild dog in northern and coastal Kenya, an area of overlap for two of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. The region is dominated by community lands occupied by pastoralists. With assistance from locals, a pilot project was initiated to study the existence of a population of wild dogs that were little known to conservationists. In the following 16 years, local ecological knowledge indicated that this region was an important sanctuary for African wild dogs and a key wildlife corridor linking Kenya’s Tsavo National Parks to the Horn of Africa in a fast-growing human-dominated landscape. This project has been recognized as a priority for wild dog conservation by the IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group.

African wild dogs are among the numerous species that stand to gain from the establishment of protected wildlife corridors that assist in linking their increasingly fragmented habitats. Conservation organizations are also involved in programs that minimize conflict between humans and African wild dogs. These include awareness programs that eliminate myths surrounding the animals as well as educational initiatives that provide farmers with training in livestock management practices that avoid depredation. National Geographic grantee Rosemary Groom is one of the many champions who are fighting to ensure the long-term survival of African wild dogs.