Dhole Facts
Dhole Facts
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| Interesting Dhole Facts: |
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| Dholes usually weigh between 22 and 44 pounds and can reach 4.6 feet in length. Males are larger than females. |
| Color of the fur depends on the habitat (it provides camouflage). Dholes can be reddish brown, grey or beige in color. Inner part of the ears and chest are white. Tail is darker in color. |
| Unlike other members of the family of dogs, dholes have unique number of teeth. Their muzzle is thickset and equipped with only 40 teeth (other dogs have 42 teeth). |
| Dholes have large, round ears and excellent sense of hearing. Other than that, they use sense of smell to find the prey. |
| Dholes are famous for their communication skills. They produce variety of sounds: growls, whistles, screams and clucks to communicate with each other. |
| Dholes are carnivores (meat-eaters). Their diet mainly consists of various species of deer, wild boars, goats and wild cattle. They rarely hunt smaller animals such as rabbits, lizards and insects. |
| Dholes live in a group, called pack, composed of 5 to 12 members. Males are much more numerous. Certain groups may have only one female. Sometimes, dholes gather in large groups composed of up to 40 members. |
| Life in the group is essential for successful hunting. Members of the group communicate and use special strategies for hunting. They can chase the prey toward the water to slow it down, or chase the prey toward the hidden members of the group. |
| Dholes are not very fast, but they have high endurance and ability to chase the prey for hours. They are also excellent swimmers. |
| Dholes are able to jump 7 feet up in the air. |
| Dholes are territorial animals. They usually require large territory (at least 34 square miles) due to scarcity of prey. |
| Mating season lasts from November to December. Dholes are monogamous. Only one couple in the pack mate. |
| Female has large number of teats and ability to give birth to a large number of babies (up to 12). All members of the group take care of mother and her babies (they regurgitate swallowed meat after the hunt to feed them). |
| Dholes reach sexual maturity when they reach the age of 3 years. Young females leave their native group to form their own packs. |
| Dholes can survive up to 10 years in the wild. |
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