Australia's Native Dog

A Dingo

Australia's native dog. Photo courtesy Ian Morris.

The dingo ('ding-go') is an Australian native dog about the size of a medium domestic dog (like a small german shepherd) and usually has a short, ginger coat.

The dingo (Canis lupus dingo) is considered an Australian native animal because it lived in Australia before European settlement. It was probably introduced to Australia from Southeast Asia around 4000 years ago. They have interbred with domestic dogs, which means that there are very few full-blood dingoes left in Australia today.

The carnivorous dingo is usually a lone hunter, mostly feeding on small mammals, birds and lizards. However, when food sources are low, they form packs and hunt larger animals such as kangaroos and sheep. Like wolves, they howl rather than bark.