Though smaller in size than most of the African wildlife that O.A.T. travelers witness on our Ultimate Africa: Botswana, Zambia & Zimbabwe Safari adventure, a pack of African wild dogs can do some serious damage.
Question: What "painted" predator is the real king of the beasts?
Answer: The African wild dog
Sorry, lions. Your claim to king of beasts might seem true when you’re flipping your mighty mane for photos, but you’re not the most fearsome predator at all. The successful kill rate for lions is 27-30%, similar to hyenas, both of which are outpaced by leopards, which can have up to 38% success. African wild dogs, however, have an average of 60% success, making them the true king of beasts in hunting prowess, if not in size. (Standing three feet high, they rarely reach 80 pounds in weight.)
What makes them so effective? Though they’re no cheetahs, they’re not slow either; they can maintain a speed of 40mph for as long as an hour, which well outpaces the stamina of most of their prey. For small targets, they hunt singly and eat their reward in one big gulp, but for gazelles and antelopes, the dogs hunt as a precision pack, spreading out to cover ground and allowing each dog space for quick turns. After spotting which member of a herd is weakest, the dogs split into teams: one to panic the herd and the other to separate their prey from its companions. With dogs forming two flanks, the target finds it has no easy path to escape. Meanwhile, the dogs are cycling in and out of rotation so that they don’t tire as easily as their target—and when their prey flags, they pounce. The wild dogs aren’t just fast on their feet: they’re speedy diners, too. A pack can consume an entire gazelle in 15 minutes flat.
But such fearsomeness is wed to more appealing qualities. For one thing, they have impeccable manners. Puppies are given first go at every kill, and seniors too old for the chase are provided for with regurgitated kill. And then there’s their appearance, which is captivating in its way; their multi-colored coat earned them the nickname "painted dogs." Whether it’s for their prowess, their family values, or their looks, African wild dogs definitely have a fan base and safari travelers clamor with excitement when they spot a pack.
Sadly, the dogs face an uncertain fate. There are only 5,000 left in the wild, and the numbers are falling. As the climate changes, even hotter, drier weather has been reducing the size of litters and decreasing the rate of kills. This is one area, perhaps, in which lions do rule: while lions are only listed a vulnerable species, African wild dogs are officially endangered.
More Fun Facts about African Wild Dogs
- Their nickname is also their scientific name: Lycaon pictus means "painted wolf," and it was chosen because all have the mottled fur but no two are "painted" alike.
- African wild dogs can cover 30 miles a day, so their territories tend to be vast, from 250 to 900 miles.
- Unlike other dogs, they have only four toes on their paws, which are better adapted for running than most canines.
- Their hearing is keen, aided by rounded ears designed to swivel like radar dishes, allowing them to detect sound in all directions from great distances.
- Each pack has an alpha pair that is monogamous and do the (pardon the term) lion’s share of the breeding for any pack, but if a beta pair produce pups, the alphas either adopt them or eat them.
- A "sneeze" is a signal to hunt: if one of the alphas makes a sharp exhale through the nose and two other dogs mimic it, the pack rallies for a chase; if a lesser dog (a beta) does the same, it takes 10 others to repeat the sound to win approval.
- They have the most advanced language of any dog group, with multiple greetings (whining, chattering, twittering) and hooting cry that means "I’m lost."
- They have only two natural enemies: a lion, which are physically bigger than they are, and humans, which think of them as dangerous, even there are no records of any human death from African wild dog attack.
- A bigger threat than humans or lions is rabies; one dog with rabies can infect (and, in turn, wipe out) the whole den—a rare downside to their extremely social, pack-bonded nature.
Discover more of Africa’s fascinating wildlife during our Ultimate Africa: Botswana, Zambia & Zimbabwe Safari adventure.
