Brought to Australia by primitive man, the Dingo is believed to be the ancestor of all dog breeds. These dogs were kept by some groups of primitive man as an emergency source of food and hunting partners.
The Dingo has never been fully domesticated and is now in danger of extinction from irate farmers who lose sheep to hungry Dingoes.
The Dingo (Canis lupus dingo) is a type of wolf, probably descended from the Indian Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes). It is commonly described as an Australian wild dog, but is not restricted to Australia, nor did it originate there.
The earliest known Dingo skulls have been found in Vietnam and are about 5,500 years old. Dingo remains from 5000 to 2,500 years old have been found in other parts of South-east Asia, and the earliest record of Dingos in Australia is 3500 years old.
The ultimate origin of the Dingo is uncertain, but it is clearly related to the wolves of south-west Asia, and probably arose in that area at about the same time as humans began to develop agriculture.
A lean and muscular dog, the Dingo can withstand hot, arid temperatures, as well as the cooler climates of certain Australian regions. Their fur is thick and insulating against both hot and cold, and comes in a range of colours, from light sandy tan, to reddish, dark brown or black with white markings.
Dingoes do not bark in the wild, but do have a distinctive howl. They will learn to bark if they associate with other, domestic canines. Dingoes prefer to hunt alone or in their family unit, and as with all truly wild dogs, their mating cycle is yearly, rather than the twice-yearly heats like domestic dog breeds.
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