Cuon alpines, is the scientific name for Dholes. They are related to Asiatic Wild Dogs, Indian Wild Dogs, and Red Dogs. C. alpines live in Asia but are endangered. Most dholes are reddish brown. They can grow up to 90 cm. long. Tails grow up to 40-45cm. They don't weigh as much as other foxes, their only, 15-20 kg. That's about, 33-44 lbs. Life expectancy is up to 16 years (in captivity). Also, if a female and her pups get frightened, they hide in their den until the next day.

 

Dholes also live in warm areas. Their behaviors are growling and tail wagging. Besides Asia, Dholes are found also in, Eastern Asia, India, China, and Java. Dholes do great in their ecosystem and, when it comes to food and surviving, they grab all the food they need, as long as they don't get eaten by another predator of course.

 

Dholes were first found in Russia and China. They inhabit forests and thick jungles, like tropical rainforests which are better for them to hunt for cover, but they also survive in dry thorn forests. Dholes are very active. Dholes usually eat spotted deer, wild sheep, small deer, sambar deer, rodents, and rabbits. They can kill a deer in less than two minutes. They compete for food by, hunting for large animals. They try to avoid competing for food with leopards and tigers, by hunting smaller prey and hunting in the daylight, but they do hunt by scent. Leopards and tigers may eat dholes as well. Dholes avoid getting eaten by, either running away or distracting the predator.

 

Interesting facts about dholes are they were related to Asian Red Dogs, Asiatic Red Dogs, Red Dogs, Indian Wild Dogs and Indian Dholes. I learned that dholes don't harm humans unless their hunting for dholes. Dholes are going extinct as well. They are trying their very best to survive and make it all the way through. After a gestation of 60-65 days, a litter of 4-6 pups are born. Pups are weaned at two months and reach sexual maturity at one year of age. The dhole is heading towards extinction. Many dholes have a difficult time hunting for food because of their predators. They still hunt food for their pups while the mother comforts them in their den. The males go out to hunt and gather food for their young as well.

 

Author: Kandace A

Published: 01/2009

 

Sources: http://wapedia.mobi/en/dhole http://www.theanimalfiles.com/mammals/carnivores/dhole.html