Dhole
A different kind of dog
Type
Mammals
Area
Asia
Endangered Status
Endangered
facts
size
3
feet, length
20 inches high at shoulder
food
meat
carnivore
habitat
forest,
scrub, steppe, and mountains
description
Dogs, not foxes
Dholes—pronounced “doles”—are wild dogs native to East and Southeast Asia that are about the size of a German shepherd, but look more like a very large, long-legged, bushy-tailed fox. They are fast runners, good swimmers, impressive jumpers, and excellent hunters.
Dhole yips
Pups eat first
A dhole pack is headed by a dominant male and female, and the rest of the pack members help feed and care for that pair’s offspring. When dhole pups get old enough to join the rest of the pack in a hunt, the others allow them to eat first.
Big family
A female dhole can give birth to a litter of as many as 12 pups. Males tend to stay with the pack for their entire life, but females may leave to start their own pack when they get older.
