Fun Dingoes Facts For Kids

The most common question asked about dingoes is – are they wild dogs or wolves? A dingo is a wild, canine. It is a medium-sized canine that is closer to a wolf than a dog, although it resembles a dog more. Dingos, Canis lupus dingo, have a similar appearance to some domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) but, they are a subspecies of wolves. The origins of dingoes are connected to a south Asian gray wolf variety - Canis lupus lupus.

Dingoes are found across Australia from a harsh desert environment to densely vegetated rainforests. In Australia, dingoes are thought to have been introduced 3,500 years ago by some Southeast Asian people. Wild dingoes are thought to be once domesticated and then abandoned to their wild environment. In Western Australia, dingoes are considered to be native wildlife and are protected by law, except for near livestock rearing land.

Dingoes mostly live on the edges of forests. In deserts, a dingo’s habitat depends on the availability of food and water. Dingoes mostly have a tan, black, or yellow coat. The name canis indicates their carnivorous eating habits.

You may also check out cairn terrier facts and basenji dog facts from Kidadl.

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What type of animals are dingoes?

Canis lupus dingo is a subspecies of wolves. They are native to Australia.

What class of animal does a dingo belong to?

Canis lupus dingo is a mammal, belonging to class Mammalia.

How many dingoes are there in the world?

The Australian dingo population is thought to be anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000. However, the pure dingo genes are declining and hybrids increasing as more and more of this species inbreed with feral and domestic dogs.

Where does a dingo live?

Dingoes are extremely adaptable wild animals. Dingoes live across the Australian mainland in deserts, forests, and grasslands. They prefer living on the edge of forests to the grassland. Large dingo populations inhabit the forests of western and central Australia, plains, and arid deserts.

What is a dingoes' habitat?

Canis dingo is unique to Australia and lives inside hollow logs, dens, or rabbit holes. Canis lupus dingo is Australian wildlife found across the Australian mainland. This wild dog species is thought to have originated from a domesticated subspecies of Asian wolves. The dingo Canis lupus belongs to the Canidae family, and like the other canine members feeds on mostly meat.

Who do dingoes live with?

Dingoes, especially young males, are solitary animals except for the breeding season. These territorial, wild animals gather in packs during mating season. Packs can range in numbers and have 3-12 members.

Dingoes may hunt in packs or alone. Dingo Canis lupus mostly hunts small animals like birds, rabbits, rodents, and lizards, and rodents. Although the dingo diet mostly includes meat, when food is scarce, these wild animals also eat plants and fruits.

How long does a dingo live?

In the wild, dingoes live for about 10 years.

How do they reproduce?

Dingoes are monogamous and mate for life. The bond is so strong when the partner dies, a dingo is said to ‘mourn itself to death. Dingoes breed only once a year and the ideal breeding season is March and June. The average litter is five pups and the alpha female of the pack often kills pups of other females. Like dogs, their gestation period lasts for 63 days.

Both the dingo parents rear the young pups in homes inside hollow logs, rock shelters, or burrows of animals like rabbits and wombats. The mother nurses the pups for a couple of months. The young pup may be abandoned by the parents or looked after for one year after that. Dingo pups attain full growth in seven months.

The females attain sexual maturity in two years and the male dingoes mature in one year. Dingoes interbreed with domestic dogs creating dingo hybrids.

What is their conservation status?

Dingoes are native Australian animals thought to be descendants of Asian dingoes that were introduced 3500 years ago into the continent.

Their conservation status as classified by IUCN is Vulnerable. Although the number of Australian dingoes is numerous, their pure genetic strains are declining. Over the years, Canis lupus dingo inbreeding with Canis familiaris or domestic dogs have produced hybrids of these animals.

Dingoes have been instrumental in controlling populations of rabbits, feral pigs, and several farm pests. However, still, there have been continued attempts by humans to eliminate the dingo species as they are seen as a threat to domestic animals.

Dingo conservation efforts are carried out in some of the Australian wildlife refuges to maintain the pure wild dingo gene.

What do dingoes look like?

Dingoes have extreme similarities with dogs and that’s why they are thought to be wild dogs. However, dingoes are a subspecies of wolves. These animals are lean, and often have a tan, or reddish-orange soft, short, coat. Black, sandy-yellow, and black-tan dingoes are rare. The coat color of a dingo usually depends on its habitat. They have large ears that stand erect, high on the skull. The tail is bushy, tapering towards the end and marked with white at the tip.

Dingos are medium-sized animals with a body length of 42–48 in (106.7-121.9 cm). Females are smaller than males. Dingoes have larger teeth than dogs of their size. A dingo’s wolfish traits make them agile predators.

How cute are they?

Dingo pups look adorable and some hybrid dingoes are also domesticated like dogs.

How do they communicate?

Dingoes were domesticated thousands of years ago and once again left in the wild to fend for themselves. These social creatures live in groups of around twelve members called packs. Young male dingoes usually prefer to stay alone when they are not breeding. Most of the dingo communication happens through vocal sounds. They bark in short harsh sounds, howl, growl, yelp, and whine.

How big is a dingo?

An average dingo is half as long as the largest canine, the gray wolf.

How fast can dingoes run?

Dingoes can run 0.02 mph (0.037 kph). They can run 25 miles (40 km) a day, jump 6.5 ft (2 m) high, and climb trees.

How much do dingoes weigh?

Dingoes weigh about 22-33 lb (10–15 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

As dingoes are considered wild dogs, a female dingo can be called a bitch and a male dog.

What would you call a baby dingoes?

A baby dingo is called a pup.

What do they eat?

Dingoes are the largest carnivores in Australia. Dingoes hunt small animals like rabbits to larger animals like sheep. Depending on the size of the prey, they attack in packs or hunt alone. Dingoes mostly hunt at night and walk long distances to find food.

Dingoes also eat discarded food from humans in camps. They also take any available opportunity to eat fish from the fishermen. These opportunistic-eaters also eat fruits and plants if required. Dingoes have been accused of preying on sheep for many years by humans and the ‘dingo fence’ is proof of that.

Are they slobbery?

Dingoes do not have drooling tendencies.

Would they make a good pet?

Dingoes are rarely kept as pets in homes as pure dingoes have very high preying instincts. However, in Australia for keeping a dingo as a pet, no national rule applies. Different states have different rules. It is legal to keep a dingo in the states of New South Wales and Western Australia without a permit. In Victoria and the Northern Territory, a dingo cannot be kept at home without permission. There have been no instances of Dingoes being dangerous they are friendly once they have warmed up to you. Dingoes are not hypoallergenic. However, their waterproof coat does not shed too much.

Did you know...

They are considered pests by sheep farmers. The famous Australian 'dingo fence' was put up to protect sheep grazing lands from wild dingoes during the 1880s. The ‘dingo fence’ is considered to be one of the longest manmade structures in history.

A female dingo eats the droppings of her puppies to obtain the moisture she needs for producing milk.

These animals do not care for the old. The healthy adults keep the aged members of the group away from food and water so that they do not live long.

How is a dingo different from other dogs?

Dingoes differ from domestic dogs in quite a few ways. A dingo’s brain size is larger than a dog's, and these animals are more like wolves. Pure dingoes have high preying instincts which may not be suitable for a domestic animal. Most god breeds are domestic and cuddly but dingoes are semi-domestic and may not be simple to handle.

Are dingoes smart?

Dingoes are highly intelligent and shrewd animals. They plan and solve problems and are escape artists. They can jump high, climb trees, and have an excellent sense of sight, smell, and hearing.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Irish wolfhound facts and bulldog facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our Dingoes coloring pages.