The African Wild Dog is the largest canine in Africa and an apex predator. This endangered species hunts in packs and is capable of taking down some of the largest animals on the plains. This guide will explore African wild dog facts, diet, behaviour and threats as well as the best places to see these animals in the wild on an Aqua-Firma safari.

African Wild Dog Facts & Appearance

African wild dogs are most famous for being the largest species of canine in Africa. The biggest male individuals can reach heights of up to 75 cm (30 in), lengths of over 1.5 m (60 in) and weigh as much as 36 kg (79 lb).

Although far less bulky than wolves (which can weight over 50 kg), they are perfectly adapted for the life of an apex predator on the plains and are one of its most successful hunters.

These animals have a very unique appearance among canids. They are unusually lean and tall and have coat patterning which is unrivalled in its diversity between individuals.

Black, brown, yellow and white seems randomly assorted on each individual to give a somewhat mottled appearance. Across the species, the legs are the most spectacularly coloured and changeable whereas the face does not differ in colour much, being mostly brown except for a black nose.

This unusually elaborate coat patterning is thought to be important for identifying one another. Being one of the most social species on the Savannah, wild dogs rely heavily on one another to survive and cooperate, making fur patterning important in many aspects of their lives.

Range & Habitat of African Wild Dogs

Populations of African wild dogs are patchy and spread over large ranges, so occur at very low densities. They are mostly contained within Africa’s south and east in savannahs and arid areas.

Despite most of these ecosystems occurring at relatively low altitudes, some subpopulations of wild dog are known to live on mountains at heights reaching as much as 2,400 m (7,900 ft).

Some of the largest wild dog ranges are in Botswana, where it is mostly uninterrupted, Zambia and Tanzania. Existing at relatively low population densities, only about 1,400 mature African wild dogs are estimated to exist globally. These are assorted into almost 40 small subpopulations – less than 250 individuals are thought to live in the largest subpopulation.

What Do African Wild Dogs Eat?

In the savannah environments these animals are best suited to, there is a great diversity of grazers which become common targets for predation.

Hunting in packs and being uniquely cooperative, African Wild Dogs are able to tackle prey multiple times their own size. They are most specialised for hunting many antelope species, including the famous Wildebeest.

By rushing their prey, African wild dogs create panic among the herds they pursue, identifying the weakest and slowest individuals.

Focussing their attention on these animals, they use their unrivalled speed and stamina to chase their subjects as fast as 60 kmph (40 mph) for up to an hour in a single hunt. As they chase, they harass and injure their subject, gradually weakening them with bites until they stop running.

Successfully bringing down a wildebeest can take as long as 30 minutes, but the pack can take as little as 5 minutes to overcome smaller antelope species. Their efficiency is reflected by their rate of success – as many as 60% of wild dog hunts are successful.

By the end of a hunt, a pack may have earned itself as much as 200 kg (440 lb) food. They will eat the entire carcass on-site before returning to the rest of their group where they regurgitate meat for the rest of the members to feed on.

The Social Behaviour & Reproduction of African Wild Dogs

Being social animals with individual identities, communication is very important to African wild dogs. Lacking the ability to pull many facial expressions, vocalisations are an asset and they have a diverse repertoire of noises which they can use in all aspects of their lives within their groups.

Groups of African wild dogs range in size between locations. In Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Park around 4 or 5 adult members constitute each. This rises to up to 9 adult members in groups living in Tanzania’s Nyerere National Park.

In cases where large migrations of antelope species occur, immense groups can form with potentially hundreds of members. These enormous gatherings are mostly temporary and will disperse again to follow the antelope’s movements.

Hierarchies are established within groups and are most often dictated by the age of each member. The oldest members of each sex are the most dominant and the most dominant male and female have the mating rights of the group, so there is only ever 1 mating pair in a group at a time.

It is incredibly rare for males to leave a group and they are commonly rejected by other groups which already have male members. When this happens, they commonly experience depression and will die of “broken heart syndrome” if they do not rejoin a pack.

Females, on the other hand, regularly leave their original groups, so there are around 3x more males in a group than females. Doing this, they can replace females in a group they join and maintain genetic diversity across the population.

East African populations of wild dogs mate year-round. This is not consistent with southern populations, however, which often breed from April to July.

When mating, fertile females are closely guarded by a dominant male who will fight to keep other males from breeding with her.

A pregnancy will last up to a month and a half before the female gives birth to the largest number of pups of any canid species – between 6 and 16 – and is why only one female per pack is allowed to breed at a time.

African Wild Dog Lifecycle: Pup to Adult

Pups are accompanied by their mothers in their den until they are a few weeks old and she drives away any other pack members who come close to them. Once they can eat solid food, they emerge from the den and will suckle above ground.

After 5 weeks, the mother will let other pack members feed them. They do this by regurgitating food collected on hunts and ensuring the youngest pups eat first.

Growth accelerates quickly and their legs, muzzles and ears enlarge notably by 7 weeks of age. Just a week later, some are allowed to follow the pack on hunts where they are the first to eat from each kill until they reach a year old.

Once an individual becomes the oldest of its sex in the group, it assumes mating rights with the other dominant individual. They will usually then live until around 10 to 11 years of age.

Predators & Enemies of African Wild Dogs

Pups can occasionally be vulnerable to birds of prey on the plains if they wander from the den or other members of the group. Beyond these, there are no other real predators or threats to pups.

The most prevalent enemies of wild dogs are Lions, but these are only a threat to them during hunts. These big cats rarely predate on wild dogs – they normally kill them through competition for food instead, regularly stealing their kills. As more successful predators than wild dogs, however, lions outcompete wild dogs and end up pushing them away from ranges with high populations of lions.

Despite this, a pack of wild dogs can still be a significant enemy to a solitary lion and have been known to drive them away.

Spotted Hyenas are also persistent thieves of African wild dog kills. While not a significant threat to wild dogs when solitary, hyenas may attack wild dogs in packs to steal their kills. These bulkier predators also outcompete wild dogs and force them to move to areas where hyena populations are lower.

Threats to African Wild Dogs & Conservation

As is the case for many species on the African plains, habitat fragmentation is the most significant cause of African wild dog population decline. As housing and urban areas grow and larger networks of roads and railways are built, wild dogs experience increasing contact with humans and domestic animals.

This results in increased human-wildlife conflict and transmission of diseases, often from pets, and is considered a serious threat to the long-term survival of African wild dogs as a species.

According to the IUCN, increasing human contact coupled with reducing range sizes make populations far more vulnerable to disease outbreak. This can lead to the death of entire groups of African wild dogs, especially when they are small.

Now considered an endangered species by IUCN and with some critically endangered subspecies, the total population of African wild dogs is decreasing. A lack of knowledge about the species also prevents its conservation from being as effective as possible.

Some conservation efforts are benefiting the species, however. For example, national parks across their ranges protect them from encroaching development. Initiatives focusing on improving coexistence of communities with wild dogs are also very important, raising awareness of the species, encouraging more considerate development and improving the momentum behind wild dog conservation efforts.

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Where to See African Wild Dogs on Safari with Aqua-Firma

On our Aqua-Firma African Wild Dog Safaris, we take you to the best places in Africa to see these incredible animals in the wild. Whether it’s Selous Gave Reserve in Tanzania or western Zimbabwe, our Africa Wildlife Safaris offer expert-led guides for incredible wildlife sightings.

Contact Us to talk to one of our travel guides today who will help you choose the best time to go and the most suitable itinerary for you. You can also check our Wildlife Safaris page for other experiences we offer for chances to see the world’s best wildlife.