Dingo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dingo

Dingo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Dingo (disambiguation).

The dingo (Canis lupus dingo) is a free-ranging dog found mainly in Australia. Its exact ancestry is debated, but
dingoes are generally believed to be descended from semi-domesticated dogs from East or South Asia, which
returned to a wild lifestyle when introduced to Australia. As such, it is currently classified as a subspecies of the
grey wolf, Canis lupus. The Australian name has therefore sometimes been applied to similar dogs in South-East
Asia, believed to be close relations. As free-ranging animals, they are not considered tame, although tame
dingoes and dingo-dog hybrids have been bred.
The dingo's habitat ranges from deserts to grasslands and the edges of forests. Dingoes will normally make their
dens in deserted rabbit holes and hollow logs close to an essential supply of water.
The dingo is the largest terrestrial predator in Australia, and plays an important role as an apex predator.
However, the dingo is seen as a pest by livestock farmers due to attacks on animals. Conversely, their predation
on rabbits, kangaroos and rats may be of benefit to graziers.
For many Australians, the dingo is a cultural icon. The dingo is seen by many as being responsible for thylacine
extinction on the Australian mainland about two thousand years ago,[3] although a recent study challenges this
view.[4] Dingoes have a prominent role in the culture of Aboriginal Australians as a feature of stories and
ceremonies, and they are depicted on rock carvings and cave paintings.[5]
Despite being an efficient hunter, it is listed as vulnerable to extinction. It is proposed that this is due to
susceptibility to genetic pollution: a controversial concept according to which interbreeding with domestic dogs
may dilute the dingo's unique adaptations to the Australian environment.

Nomenclature
The dingo has several names in both scientific and non-scientific literature, with "dingo" being the most
commonly used. In Australia, the term "wild dog" is also widely used, but generally includes dingoes as well as
dingo-hybrids and other feral dogs.[6]

Scientific name
Since its first official nomenclature in 1792 (Canis antarcticus), the scientific name of the dingo has changed
several times.[7]
Current taxonomy classifies the Australian dingo, together with its closest relatives outside of Australia, as Canis
lupus dingo, a subspecies of grey wolf separate from the familiar common dog, Canis lupus familiaris, while still
united with familiaris as an intrataxonomic clade called "domestic dog".[7] An older taxonomy, used throughout
most of the 20th century, applied the epithet Canis familiaris dingo. This taxonomy assumed that domestic dogs
are a distinct species from the grey wolf, with the dingo classified as a subspecies of domestic dog. However, the
term Canis dingo,[8][9] which classifies the dingo as a separate species from both dogs and wolves, has gained
support in 2014 in a study that established a reference description of the dingo based on pre-20th century
specimens that are unlikely to have been influenced by hybridisation.[10][11] The dingo differs from the domestic
dog by relatively larger palatal width, relatively longer rostrum, relatively shorter skull height and relatively
wider top ridge of skull.[10] A sample of 19th century dingo skins the study examined suggests that there was

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