Living Beings
    Source-identified Lycaon pictus; documentary image Framed for display
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    African wild dog (Lycaon pictus pictus).jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Field guide · species

    African Wild Dog

    Lycaon pictus

    AnimaliaMammaliaCarnivoraCanidae

    The African wild dog is a highly social canid with individually distinctive coat patterns. Cooperative hunting and care of young are central to its ecology, rather than incidental gatherings around food.

    Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

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    Tree of lifeScientific lineage
    1. LifeLife
    2. DomainEukaryota
    3. KingdomAnimalia
    4. PhylumChordata
    5. ClassMammalia
    6. OrderCarnivora
    7. FamilyCanidae
    8. GenusLycaon
    9. SpeciesLycaon pictus
    Advanced classification

    Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

    1. cellular organisms cellular root
    2. Eukaryota domain
    3. Opisthokonta clade
    4. Metazoa kingdom
    5. Eumetazoa clade
    6. Bilateria clade
    7. Deuterostomia clade
    8. Chordata phylum
    9. Craniata subphylum
    10. Vertebrata clade
    11. Gnathostomata clade
    12. Teleostomi clade
    13. Euteleostomi clade
    14. Sarcopterygii superclass
    15. Dipnotetrapodomorpha clade
    16. Tetrapoda clade
    17. Amniota clade
    18. Mammalia class
    19. Theria clade
    20. Eutheria clade
    21. Boreoeutheria clade
    22. Laurasiatheria superorder
    23. Carnivora order
    24. Caniformia suborder
    25. Canidae family
    26. Lycaon genus
    27. Lycaon pictus species
    Open in taxonomy explorer ↗

    Physical traits

    Large rounded ears and irregular dark, pale and tawny patches distinguish individuals.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Habitat and range

    Savannas and other suitable landscapes must provide prey, den sites and room for pack movements.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Diet and nutrition

    Ungulates are important prey, with hunting organized through cooperation among pack members.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Behavior and activity

    Social packs share roles in hunting and rearing pups. A denning pack has different movement constraints from one traveling without dependent young.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Geographic distribution

    The Mammal Diversity Database v2.5 records this species in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Algeria?, Cote d'Ivoire?, Democratic Republic of the Congo?, Guinea?, Guinea-Bissau?, Mali?, Nigeria?, Togo?, Uganda?.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Evidence

    Sources

    Connected life

    No reviewed ecological connections in the collection yet.

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