They like open spaces and can often be found on jungle roads, river beds, jungle clearings, and paths, where they rest during the day. Dholes live in a group, called pack, composed of 5 to 12 members. Their muzzle is thickset and equipped with only 40 teeth (other dogs have 42 teeth). They also use a variety of other noises, including clucks and high-pitched screams that are not found anywhere else in the canid families. Quick facts. Females leave the pack at this time an unusual trait for most pack animals. Adult females can weigh from 10 to 17 kg (22 to 37 lb), while the slightly larger male may weigh from 15 to 21 kg (33 to 46 lb). There are 11 subspecies of dholes that can be found in India, Korea, China, Russia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Java. Dholes are carnivores (meat-eaters). Each dhole has a call so distinctive that it can be used to identify each animal. The dhole likes open spaces and is often found on jungle roads, jungle clearings, river beds, and paths, resting during the day. After this a group of 5 to 12 pups is born. It is also known as red dog or whistling dog. These animals are listed as endangered species. Pups are born throughout the end of fall, winter, and the first spring months (November – March). Previously populations existed in Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and the Korean Peninsula. They usually require large territory (at least 34 square miles) due to scarcity of prey. When hunting as a pack, dholes can catch prey over 10 times their own body weight and can even fend off a tiger. The Dhole is an animal native to Central Asia, and South and Southeast Asia. They are also excellent swimmers. Inner part of the ears and chest are white. Man has been a big threat for them as well. Mating season lasts from November to December. In these alpine areas they survive at altitudes of above 3,000m (9,843ft). They rarely hunt smaller animals such as rabbits, lizards and insects. Dholes are carnivorous. These dogs are also excellent swimmers. In 2016, the Korean company Sooam Biotech was reported to be attempting to clone the dhole using dogs as surrogate mothers to help conserve the species. Only one couple in the pack mate. Dholes can survive in different types of habitat: deciduous and evergreen forests, dense jungles, alpine savannas, grasslands… Habitat destruction, loss of the natural prey, hunting and diseases (such as rabies) led dholes to the brink of extinction. Dholes are great communicators and use an eerie whistle to communicate with each other. Due to their pack nature they are only threatened by large cats such as leopards and tigers. Males are much more numerous.

The dhole is a canid native to Central, South and Southeast Asia.. Dholes are found from Siberia in the north to the Malay Peninsula in the south.. Color of the fur depends on the habitat (it provides camouflage). Dhole is a type of Asian wild dog. The male will spend 2 weeks courting the female and then 2 weeks mating with her. Dens are constructed near streambeds or among rocks. It lives in groups known as clans, which usually contain around 12 individuals. They live in dense forests, thick scrub, open grasslands, rainforests, alpine zones and steppe regions. In appearance, the dhole has been variously described as combining the physical characteristics of the grey wolf and red fox, and as being “cat-like” on account of its long backbone and slender limbs.

During the Pleistocene, the dhole ranged throughout Asia, Europe and North America but became restricted to its historical range 12,000 to 18,000 years ago. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T5953A72477893. Subordinate pack members help care for the young of the dominant pair. Cuon alpinus. The territory of each dhole pack is about 88 square kilometres (34 square miles). https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T5953A72477893.en. Dhole Image courtesy of Neil McIntosh/Flickr. Dholes reach sexual maturity when they reach the age of 3 years.