The Life History of the Dingo
Dingoes are K-selected animals, in terms of life history selection theory. Such organisms:
Dingoes live in packs, and each pack typically has two to three dominant pairs. The female dingo fully matures around the age of 2 and around that time she will mate with the male she has bonded with. After a male and female dingo bond, they become mates for life. Some dingoes that are not dominant or have failed to find a mate have even been known to breed with domestic dogs. After mating and the female becomes impregnated, the gestation period lasting around 9 weeks. There are anywhere from 4 to six pups per litter, and they are nursed for two months in a den, both parents offering their young protection and parental care. After the pups are weaned, the pups leave the den and the parents teach them to hunt until they are fully grown at a year old.
The female then gives birth to four to six pups in a den or burrow and both parents stay with them to offer protection. The female dingo nurses the pups for the first 2 months before beginning to wean them. After weaning, the male and female dingo begins taking the pups out of the den in order to teach them to hunt. On occasion, the female pups will be killed or abandoned by the mother if her dominance is threatened. The pups are fully grown by a year old, and live up to nine years.
- Mature slower and reproduce at an older age
- Have relatively long lifespans
- Produce fewer offspring at a time
- Have a high offspring survival rate and parental care investment
Dingoes live in packs, and each pack typically has two to three dominant pairs. The female dingo fully matures around the age of 2 and around that time she will mate with the male she has bonded with. After a male and female dingo bond, they become mates for life. Some dingoes that are not dominant or have failed to find a mate have even been known to breed with domestic dogs. After mating and the female becomes impregnated, the gestation period lasting around 9 weeks. There are anywhere from 4 to six pups per litter, and they are nursed for two months in a den, both parents offering their young protection and parental care. After the pups are weaned, the pups leave the den and the parents teach them to hunt until they are fully grown at a year old.
The female then gives birth to four to six pups in a den or burrow and both parents stay with them to offer protection. The female dingo nurses the pups for the first 2 months before beginning to wean them. After weaning, the male and female dingo begins taking the pups out of the den in order to teach them to hunt. On occasion, the female pups will be killed or abandoned by the mother if her dominance is threatened. The pups are fully grown by a year old, and live up to nine years.
References
- IUCN Red List (February, 2008)
http://www.iucnredlist.org - Sillero-Zubiri, C., Hoffman, M. and Macdonald, D.W. (2004) Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Dog: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN Publications Services Unit, Cambridge. Available at:
http://www.canids.org/species/Canis_lupus_dingo.htm - Jackson, P. and Sheean-Stone, O. (1990) Wild Dogs and their Relatives. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
- Nowak, R.M. (1999) Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland.
- Jackson, S. (2003) Australian Mammals: Biology and Captive Management. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
- Glen, A.S., Dickman, C.R., Soulé, M.E. and Mackey, B.G. (2007) Evaluating the role of the dingo as a trophic regulator in Australian ecosystems. Austral Ecology, 32: 492 - 5001.