HABITAT and RANGE of the DINGO
The dingo is known as the most prominent wild dog species in Australia, but they are also found all over Southeast Asia.
It is suspected that thousands of years ago, dingoes were introduced to Australia from Asia, in an attempt to domesticate them. The first officially document report of the dingo in Australia was in 1699, when dingoes were distributed widely across the continent, living both in the outback and with the Aboriginal tribes. European settlers sometimes kept them as pets. The maps below show the widespread distribution of dingos.
It is suspected that thousands of years ago, dingoes were introduced to Australia from Asia, in an attempt to domesticate them. The first officially document report of the dingo in Australia was in 1699, when dingoes were distributed widely across the continent, living both in the outback and with the Aboriginal tribes. European settlers sometimes kept them as pets. The maps below show the widespread distribution of dingos.
References: National Geographic: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/dingo/
Dampier, William (1699). "A voyage to New Holland". Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
Dampier, William (1699). "A voyage to New Holland". Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 8 May 2009.
Often found blending into the sandy, reddish outback of the Australian desert, the dingo lives either alone or roams in a pack with as many as ten conspecifics. They inhabit a diverse range of habitats including the deserts of Central Australia, the north's tropical forest wetlands, and the east's snowy mountain forests.
Reference: Corbett, Laurie (2004). "Dingo". In Claudio Sillero-Zubiri, Michael Hoffmann and David W. Macdonald. Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Dogs. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. The density of dingoes per square kilometre had risen to 0.3 around the Guy Fawkes River region of New South Wales and in southern Australia during the "rabbit plague." Reference: Fleming, Peter; Laurie Corbett; Robert Harden; Peter Thomson (2001). Managing the Impacts of Dingoes and Other Wild Dogs. Commonwealth of Australia: Bureau of Rural Sciences. |
The population of dingoes is currently due to the greater availability of water, prey, livestock, and human-provided prey. Conversely, the introduction of agriculture in many parts of Australia has led to a decrease in the population due to the establishment of dingo fences.
Dingoes are heavily concentrated in dense, forested areas in the Eastern Highlands, however they are quite scarce in areas bordering South Australia.
Finally, outside of Australia the dingo has been found in: Thailand, Burma, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Vietnam. However, the populations are much lower and the dingoes much scarcer, thus their density is unknown.
Dingoes are heavily concentrated in dense, forested areas in the Eastern Highlands, however they are quite scarce in areas bordering South Australia.
Finally, outside of Australia the dingo has been found in: Thailand, Burma, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Vietnam. However, the populations are much lower and the dingoes much scarcer, thus their density is unknown.
Currently there are roughly 200,000 dingoes in Australia, and they are largely considered pests. "Dingo fences" have been established in order to discourage them from entering grazing fields or predating on livestock and pets.
Reference: Newby, Jonica (31 March 2005). "Last Of The Dingoes". ABC. Retrieved 2 Mar 2015.
Reference: Newby, Jonica (31 March 2005). "Last Of The Dingoes". ABC. Retrieved 2 Mar 2015.