Below is an image submitted by one of our flickr members, “Ijaz Bhatti,” of an African Wild Dog peeking through the grass. This photo was taken in Chobe, Botswana.
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- Notes From the Field: “The wild dog weighs between 17 – 36 kg (37 – 79 lb). It is generally found in plains and open woodland, although it has been found in a variety of other habitats from the Sahara Desert up into the lower forests of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Most prey species weigh between 20 – 90 kg (44 – 200 lb), but animals as small as cane rats and as large as greater kudu have been reported in the diet. The dominant prey species varies according to the most abundant prey species in the area. Dominant prey species in various areas include Thomson’s gazelle, wildebeest, impala, duiker and reedbuck.For most of the year, wild dogs roam around over the plains and in the bush, usually not staying in the same place for more than a day. Hunts take place in the morning and early evening. Prey is apparently located by sight, approached silently, and then pursued at speeds of up to 66 km/hr (41 mph) for up to one hour. Pack members generally cooperate in hunting large mammals, but individuals sometimes pursue hares, rodents, or other small animals. The daytime is spent sleeping, usually in the shade of a tree or near water, with members of the pack lying very close together. Once a year the pack occupies a den for 2 – 3 months, to bear young. The den is usually an abandoned aardvark hole.Wild dogs are social, communally hunting carnivores, which live in small cohesive packs typically composed of a dominant breeding pair, a number of non-breeding adults, and their dependent offspring. Within the wild dog pack all the males are related to each other, and all of the females to each other but not to the males. Females migrate into the pack, whereas males usually stay with their natal pack. Only the highest-ranking male and female normally breed, and they inhibit reproduction by subordinates. Pack size ranges from 2 – 43, with the average number usually between 8 – 11.”— Ijaz Bhatti
Editor’s Review:
“I’m drawn immediately to the ears of this African wild dog…then the eyes appear from the dark facial markings. It is a very different perspective of this species than I am used to seeing and I enjoy the design features in the hair as well as of the sharp focus on the grass fading to a soft, out-of-focus green background.”— Ijaz Bhatti
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