The African Wild Dogs

1. The African Wild Dogs By: Kynzie

2. Introduction • My animal has brown, black and white spots. • The first word starts with a w and ends with a d. • The second word starts with a d and ends with a g. • What is it?

3. Description African wild dogs height is 24 to 30 inches high. They weigh between 37 and 80 pounds. The African wild dog’s color is brown, white and black. African wild dogs do not all have white tails.

4. Life Span Both male and female lives the same amount of time. I think it is better to be younger in their group because the younger they are the longer they live. The African wild dog lives for 10 years.

5. Predator/Prey • Antelope, zebras, wildebeests, springboks, gazelles and impala are the food African wild dogs hunt for. Gazelles and Wildebeests have to keep a sharp lookout for they are the dog’s favorite foods. They eat their food quickly so hyenas do not steal their food. The wild dogs chase their prey, usually a sick or old animal. They also do not have many enemies.

6. Protection African wild dog’s deadliest enemy is a human. When African wild dogs are done hunting they bring back food for injured, and old members of the pack that stayed behind. They protect themselves by running away.

7. African wild dogs can have up to fifteen pups in a litter, but 7 to 10 are more usual. The special name for a baby African wild dog is called a pup. African wild dogs often have pups once a year. Parents take care of baby African wild dogs for six weeks. When pups are about six weeks old they start to hunt and run. The pack feeds and protects the pups. Young

8. Behavior • African wild dogs treat each other like a caring family. African wild dogs packs have many rules. The African wild dogs can easily run 30 miles per hour. The African wild dogs are active during the day. When it is the hottest part of the day African wild dogs usually rest and sleep in the shade.

9. Environment The African wild dogs are only found south of the Sahara dessert. Savannahs and grasslands are where African wild dogs live.

10. Endangered, Threatened, or Recovering We should care for African wild dogs because they will die from humans hunting them and floods drowning them. Anthrax, rabies and distemper can make African wild dogs sick and kill them.

11. Interesting Facts African wild dogs only have four toes. Regular dogs have five toes. The pack will share food with young hyenas if they behave the right way. Not all African wild dogs have white tails. Some of them just have brown or black or white, black and brown on its tail.

12. Conclusion I learned about the African wild dog. The African wild dog is cute. The reason why I picked the African wild dog was because I have a puppy that looks exactly like a African wild dog. We can save African wild dogs by not cutting down trees.

13. Bibliography Beil, Timothy L. Wild Dogs. Mankoto, MN: Creative Education, 1996. Defenders of Wildlife. “African Wild Dog.” Accessed on 8 Sept 2006. http://www.Kidsplanet.org/factsheets/africanwilddog.html Encyclopedia of Animals. “African wild dogs.” Accessed on 5 Sept 2006 from EBSCO animals online database. Gentle, Victor. African Wild Dogs. Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens, 2002 Gunzi, Christiane. Wolves and Wild Dogs. Boston: Kingfisher, 2003.