Information by Philip from Year 5P at Rochedale State School.

  INTRODUCTION

The Dingo is a wild form of a domestic dog. By nature it is not a pack dog. They hunt alone or in a small group. They appear to have a clearly defined home and territory. They belong to a group of primitive dogs that once ranged over south east Asia and North Africa. They are thought to have been brought into Australia by Aborigines from New Guinea approximately 3 000 years ago. They have become considered pests because of their predation on grazing sheep.

HABITAT & FEEDING HABITS

The Dingo is found in many parts of Australia but they are not found in Tasmania. They need water every day. They live on the edges of forests but they are forced onto the grasslands by man where food is plentiful. Dingoes are meat eaters. Their prey ranges from small rodents to rabbits, lizards, sheep. kangaroos and supplemented by reptiles and insects etc. Larger prey must be tackled.

DESCRIPTION

The Dingo's colour is reddish-brown. Their length is up to 1 metre. Their height is 50 cm up to the shoulder. The males weigh up to 20kg and females 16kg. They have longer canine teeth. Their ears are large, pointed and permanently erect.

CONCLUSION

Dingoes are not truly native to Australia. They don't bark but they howl. After being weaned at 2 months, the mother regurgitates food for her pups until they are about 4 months old, when they are capable of trying to hunt for themselves. Apart from trapping, shooting and poisoning, an attempt was made some year ago to exclude Dingos from the eastern states by erecting what became known as the 'longest fence in the world.'

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