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The African Wild Dog
Behaviors & Reproduction
Key behavioral components:
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cursorial
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limbs made for running​
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terricolous
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live on ground or soil type terrain​
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diurnal
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active daily​
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crepuscular
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active during twilight​
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nomadic
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constant travelers​
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social
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dominance hierarchies
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a single alpha breeding pair for pack
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Key reproductive components:
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sexual
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iteroparous
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can breed multiple litters​
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seasonal breeders
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gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious
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i.e. separate sexes
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viviparous
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placental mammals​
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African wild dogs live in packs with an alpha male and alpha female that are the monogamous breeding pair for the entire pack. The pair is usually the only source of reproduction within the pack; subordinate females may have pups but only on occasion.
Males are typically raised to be loyal hunters for the pack, while females tend to branch off after youth in search of breeding opportunities. This structure is due to the pack's hierarchy and the amount of food required to feed the young. Since food is limited and there are many members in the pack, the dominant pair are the only two that are breeding for the pack, where in some cases the alpha female may murder other females' offspring.
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The dogs are ready to reproduce around 1-1.5 years old and stop around 8-9 years. They are placental mammals that undergo a gestation period (i.e. pregnancy) between 69-73 days and then cannot reproduce again for another year or so. The litters range anywhere from 6-20 pups, with an average of 10 pups per litter.
When the female dogs have their first pregnancy (known as maiden bitches) they are said to be 'primiparous' (the first litter) and the sex ratio results in a higher proportion of males. 'Multiparous' females (having already given birth once previously) will have litters that are about evenly split in sex ratio (i.e. half female, half male). Subsequent litters will then begin to favor females in sex ratio which increases as the females get older.
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Primiparous females (i.e. their first litter) will typically have higher estrogen levels, which has been reportedly linked to more male offspring. Occasionally, subordinate females develop a sense of pseudopregnancy to help care for the dominant pairs' pups, where their bodies will lactate as a result.
Adult sex ratio is biased toward males, male helpers, and female emigration. There are many reasons for why these sex ratios occur within the litters.
First, the system of sex ratios possibly occur due to stable evolutionary adaptation. Males may be favored in the initial litters since they will ensure a supply of helpers. Additionally, when the males become 2-3 years of age, they are experienced hunters for the pack. The male ratio ensures the long-term survival for future packs to develop, while the female ratio will ensure stability within the pack.
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The African Wild Dogs live and hunt in packs that range from 6 to 20 individuals, but could reach higher amounts. They are very social and communicate via vocals, touch, and actions. They're also helpful towards each other in the pack where they often share the food they catch and aid members that are sick or weak. They tend to sleep during the day and are known to hunt closer to dawn or dusk. They are cursorial hunters, in which they hunt their prey in a long and open pursuit. They have high endurance and cool off through their breathing and even their ears.
The wild dogs have one of the highest litter counts compared among other canids. Generally speaking, one liter is enough to form a new pack of its own. Due to liter sizes and food availability, multiple liters would not be sufficient for the pack to survive as a unit. Because of this, the pack follows a strict hierarchical dominance, with only the alpha pair to breed. With this, the subordinate females take on the role of cooperative breeders, helping the pair take care of the pups as a collective pack duty.
After giving birth, the mother stays relatively close to the den while resting and guarding her pups, where she typically keeps others away from them until about a month when they are ready to eat solid food. The pack continues their daily activities while taking care of any young or injured dogs, including gathering food for the mom and her pups.
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The pups begin to wean off of their mom at around 5 weeks, where they get a taste of regurgitated food provided by members of the pack. The pups start to grow into their bodies at about 7 weeks, where their legs, snout, and ears elongate. The pups become ready to hunt and fully remove themselves from the den between 8-10 weeks old. During this stage, the young pups have the advantage of eating first at kills. Once they are a year or older, their entitlements to get first dibs in kills shift to them becoming dedicated hunters that eat fairly with the pack.
Many canid species can handle a wide range of environmental temperatures, however, the African wild dogs are less tolerant of cold temperatures when compared to temperate species around the same size.
Other behaviors the wild dogs display happen to be jumping up on their back legs scanning for prey, playing socially, grooming each other, nuzzling, and mouthing (they lick inside each other’s mouths as they regurgitate meat).
Wild dogs can communicate in various types of calls, ranging from a low growl-like bark to a high-pitched twitter. Each sound they signal to each other indicates whether they're playing, greeting each other, or getting ready for a hunt. Additionally, the dogs communicate through their sense of sight and smell.
Figure.
Reproductive system of the male dog.
Figure.
Reproductive system of the female dog.
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