Feeding and diet

Dingoes are opportunistic carnivores. Mammals form the main part of their diet especially rabbits, kangaroos, wallabies and wombats. When native species are scarce they are known to hunt domestic animals and farm livestock.This makes them very unpopular with pastoralists. Failing this, the Dingo will eat reptiles and any food source it can find including insects and birds. Scavenging at night, the Dingo is a solitary hunter but will form larger packs when hunting bigger game.

It is thought that the Dingo contributed to the extinction of mainland Thylacines (Tasmanian Tiger) by becoming competition for the available food sources.

Other behaviours and adaptations

Dingoes display a clearly defined territory which is rarely left and often defended against other Dingoes. However, territory is known to be shared when Dingoes form packs for hunting.

Dingoes rarely bark. They tend to howl, particularly at night in an effort to attract pack members or to ward off intruders. Other forms of communication include scent-rubbing, defecating and urinating on objects such as grass tussocks to mark territorial boundaries.

Life history cycle

Pure Dingoes will breed once a year between March and June. The gestation period is approximately nine weeks (similar to domestic dogs) with the resultant litter producing usually between four and six pups. Dingoes will rear their young in a hollow log, rock shelter, old rabbit warren or wombat burrow and both parents will be involved. Weaning of the pups occurs at about two months, at which time the pups may be abandoned or can stay with the parents for about a year. Dingo pups are fully grown by seven months of age and adult Dingoes can live for up to ten years.

Breeding behaviours

Most female dingoes become sexually mature by 2 years of age while male dingoes will be sexually mature by the time they are a year old. Only the most dominant members of an established Dingo pack will breed leaving the other members to help with the feeding of the pups.

Dingoes have been known to breed with domestic dogs.