Since the arrival of westerners in Australia more than 200 years ago, the dingo has been known as Australia's native dog. But it turns out that our native mutt is not really a mutt.

For the first time scientists have confirmed the dingo is a species in its own right.

A startling discovery: Commonly believed to be a breed of wild dog, scientists now consider the dingo to be a species in its own right. Credit:Neil Newitt

“The dingo is distinct from what we describe as a domestic dog; it's a distinct form of canid,” said Mike Letnic, a University of NSW ecologist.

The revelation comes after a group of Sydney scientists found there was no scientific description of the animal. In zoology it is typical for animals to have an official description, usually based on a specimen called a holotype, which is used to differentiate one closely related species from another.