The dhole is an efficient hunter. Like many other wild dogs it hunts in packs and is capable of killing an animal the size of a buffalo by steadily wearing its victim down.

Habits

The dhole prefers to live in forested, mountainous country.  In parts of its range with no forest , such as Tibet, it lives on the high plains. The dhole lives in a wider variety of climates than any other canid (genus Canidae)- from freezing cold to tropical heat. 

Packs of dholes can be made up of one family or several families banded together. Before pray became scarce, the dhole migrated only when its pray did. But in recent years the dhole's territory has expanded, since increasing smaller food supplies have forced it to move farther afield.

Breeding

In its southern range the dhole has no set breeding season. Further north, breeding usually takes place in late winter, with pups born from February to April.

During the breeding season the female makes her den in a cave, a crevice, or a burrow. She often shares it with other females. When she comes into heat, the male pursues her until they mate. The pups are born about 60 days later, blind and fluffy. They grow fast, but their eyes do not open for two weeks.

After a month the pups start being weaned, and they begin to chew on small bits of meat. Six weeks later they become more independent.

Food and Hunting

The dhole preys on hoofed mammals. In India it eats deer, wild pig, buffalo, and wild goats; in southeast Asia it feeds on deer, gaur, and banteng; and in Siberia it eats deer, wild sheep, and caribou.

The dhole is a tireless hunter. It tracks its prey at a steady trot for several miles. When the pray is exhausted, the chase is over, and the dhole makes an easy kill. Although one dhole can overtake one deer without assistance, large animals such as the Indian buffalo require a highly organized pack of dholes. Then , some of them distract he pray by biting its head while others attach its flanks and belly.

When the pray is migratory, the dhole migrates too. In Siberia, dholes follow the caribou. They both live high in the Sayan mountains during the summer and move down to lowlands in the winter.

Key Facts

 

Breeding

Mating: Usually winter

Gestation: About 60 days

No. of young: 2-6

 

Lifestyle

Habit: Solitary and nocturnal

Call: Whine, yelp, Chatter, howl, Whistle, and hiss

Diet: Hoofed mammals, small mammals, and birds

 

Related Species

Some of the southern animals of the genus Cuon grouped in species primoevus, sumatrensis, dukhunensis, rutilans, or javanicus.