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Australian Wildlife

  Dingo (Canis lupus)





Dingo | Canis lupus photo
Dingo, on the beach at Fraser Island.

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.

Dingo | Canis lupus photo
Dingo burying a fish on the beach at Fraser Island. There were some people fishing nearby, so the fish may have been thrown away by a careless fisherman. Feeding dingoes is against the law in Queensland. Dingoes are wild animals and can be very dangerous - there have been a number of attacks on people on Fraser Island including a fatal attack on a child.

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.

Dingo | Canis lupus photo
Dingo at sanctuary, Brisbane. The rangers take the dingoes for a walk round the sanctuary just like pet dogs. The dingoes have a muzzle and normal collar and lead. NEVER feed or approach a wild dingo, they may look cute but they can attack and kill.

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.

Dingo | Canis lupus photo
Pair of dingoes at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Brisbane, Queensland.

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.

Dingo | Canis lupus photo
Dingo resting at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Brisbane, Queensland.

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.

Dingo | Canis lupus photo
Dingo resting in hollow log, Alma Park Zoo.

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.

Dingo | Canis lupus photo
Dingo at Australia Zoo. Dingoes vary in colour from cream through tan to almost black.

Image by ozwildlife - Some rights reserved.







DINGO FACTS

Description
The Dingo is the only native dog in Australia. Believed to have arrived in Australia about 4000-6000 years ago, and were probably introduced through trading between Aboriginal people and Indonesians fishing in local waters. Australia's largest mammal carnivore. Golden yellow dingoes are found in sandy areas while darker black and tan dingoes are found in forests. They howl at night but rarely bark. Hunt alone or in packs. If dingoes are hand-fed, they become dependent on people. and can be dangerous. Never feed wild dingoes.

Size
A medium sized dog. About 60cm high at shoulder

Habitat
found in coastal areas, forest and open areas where there is plenty cover

Food
mainly carnivorous, but will eat a wide variety of foods including plant material and insects.

Breeding
Breed only once a year and produce litters of around four to six pups.

Range
found in many parts of Australia, except Tasmania.

distribution map showing range of Canis lupus in Australia

Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Notes
It is illegal to have a dingo as a pet in South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania. Victoria and the Northern Territory require dingo owners to have a special permit. Only New South Wales and Western Australia allow dingoes as pets without a license.



Classification
Class:Mammalia
Order:Fissipedia
Family:Canidae
Genus:Canis
Species:lupus
Common Name:Dingo