African Wild Dogs, or Lycaon pictus, are indigenous to many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. They, along with wolves and domesticated dogs, are classified in the kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, and family Canidae, so all three species share many similar characteristics (Woodroffe & Sillero-Zubiri, 2012). Lycaon pictus translates to “painted wolf,” referring to the unique brown, gold, black, and white mottling of their coats which allows recognition of individuals. They are 29.5 to 43 inches in height (approximately the size of a Great Dane), but their large rounded ears and lack of a fifth toe set them apart from their domesticated counterparts (African wild dog (lycaon pictus), 2014).
African Wild Dogs are characteristically gregarious, living in packs of 6 to 20 headed by an alpha pair that breeds and gives birth to a litter of 2 to 20 pups yearly. Except in unusually large packs, no other members are reproductive, but several are capable of becoming reproductive upon the death of an alpha (Woodroffe & Sillero-Zubiri, 2012). The young are raised by the whole pack, whose members take turns hunting to provide for the alphas and pups and staying behind to guard them. The species is notable for its collectivistic attitude toward pack life—members share resources and aid the weak rather let a member or orphan suffer (African wild dog (lycaon pictus), 2014). The dogs communicate through a variety of vocalizations, which include a hoot to locate lost pack members and a twitter to rouse members to a hunt twice daily—at dawn and at dusk (What’s wild about African Wild Dogs, 2014). They are generalists, preying on large and small animals but preferring prey weighing between 10 and 120 kilograms. A ...
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According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), there is a “great deal of confusion associated with the label ‘Pit Bull,’” as it does not refer to a single breed of dog, but rather to a group of breeds with similar characteristics1. These characteristics include short hair, a wide skull and shoulders, muscle definition, stocky build and a deep jawline, the combination of which create a dog that manages to strike fear into a perfect stranger. The term ‘Pit Bull’ is derived from the bulldog, which was originally bred as a hunting dog for large game, but has since developed into a “loyal companion rather than a working dog.”1 Their history as “gripping dogs” for hunters follows them into modern society, as many of these dogs have been inhumanely pitted against one another as well as other animals for sport and for human entertainment1. It is because of these illegal fighting rings that ‘Pit Bull’ type breeds have become the subje...
First Friend: A History of Dogs and Humans, by Katherine Rogers, articulates the history of the relationship between dogs and humans. Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals, by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce, investigates if and how dogs exhibit morality. In both texts, anecdotes and observations are used to portray instances of dogs displaying cooperation, empathy, altruism, and, by extension, morality. Consequently, it stands to reason that dogs have a capacity for sociality, but how can the sociality of dogs be described? A dog’s capacity for sociality is the ability to form long term relationships with members of the same or other species. Dogs, in particular, dogs who hunt as well as dogs who play, are able to form long term relationships with humans and other dogs through trust, love,
Nagy, Kenneth A. 1994. "Seasonal Water, Energy and Food Use by Free-living, Arid-habitat Mammals." Australian Journal of Zoology 42: pp. 55-63.
Dogs are seen as an ‘evolutionary miracle’. This is because, over 100 years, they have the most breeds and changes than any other species. They have changed spectacularly from their ancestors the wolves; they domesticated themselves into dogs and they now carry many different traits. Wolves now have little use for us unlike dogs, for example, retrievers are bred to chase and then bring back
Kendall, Jodi. (n.d.) Wild at Home: Exotic Anmals as Pets. National Geographic. Retrieved March 5th 2014, from http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/wild/animal-intervention/articles/wild-at-home-exotic-animals-as-pets/
In this article, the author explains why dogs have been man’s best friend for over 40,000 years, enlightening readers that, in fact, the dog was tamed even earlier than people thought. The author makes extensive use of findings from scientific research related to the topic, offering credibility to her perspectives. In addition, the article has been written in a manner simple to follow and comprehend: the author starts by offering a brief background about the relationship between man and dog, which is followed by comprehensive information from credible sources. The use of images throughout the article makes it easy for the reader to understand and relate with the topic. This article would be critical for research because of its attention to detail, ease of understanding, and credibility of sources.
- Bush meat utilization is a significant conservation, economic, and cultural issue in non-forested areas of eastern and southern Africa
Throughout the world there are many different countries that contain diverse cultures, religions, and life styles. There is however certain aspects within these countries and cultures that acts as a common ground between one another. One dominant aspect is the existence of dogs within these cultures. Dogs are common throughout the world, either as a domestic pet, a protector on a farm, or an assistant for hunting; amongst others. Regardless of the reason for having a dog most people have either owned one for themselves or has known somebody who has owned one at some point in their life. Despite the relative normality of having a dog in your life in one way or another, the reasons for dogs coming into existence is not common knowledge among most people. Throughout a great portion of mankind’s history dogs have been an essential part of life. The truth is dogs were actually created in part by man. It was evolution from wolves in the form of natural and artificial selection that brought dogs into existence (Harris 3). This is the most modern and widely excepted theory at this time, however this was not always the case considering the theory of evolution in of itself is relatively new in our society. After evolution as a theory was accepted there were several other variations on the theory such as, the evolution being from jackals opposed to wolves, and artificial selection being the only form of evolution to have taken place. According to Jarret A Lobell and Eric A Powell of Archaeology magazine “The idea that dogs were domesticated from jackals was long ago discarded in favor of the notion that dogs descend from the gray wolf (2)”. As for the theory that artificial selection ...
Roemer GW, Gompper ME and Van Valkenburgh B. 2009. The ecological role of the mammalian mesocarnivore. Bioscience 59:165-173.
African Elephants are considered herbivores, they are both browsers and grazers; they will eat rough sticks, stems and leaves of plants as well as grasses, sedges, and fruit.
The data was gathered on various locations such as Apenheul Primate Park, Apeldoorn, and The Netherlands. The bonobos were housed in an enclosure with both an indoor and outdoor facility and were given the privilege to move freely from the indoor to the outdoor enclosure after the first feeding session. Water was available and environmental enrichments were provided in the form of fresh branches, rice, and nuts scattered on the grass to encourage foraging activity, and renewal of the equipment in the indoor facility, which shows the bonobos didn’t have to go through any difficult testing. The researchers tested for three relationship quality categories: Non-kin weak; Non-kin strong; and Kin.
Lerner, E. and Lerner, B., 2008. Giraffes and okapi. The Gale Encyclopedia of Science 4
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Sikes, Roberts. and William L. Gannon. "Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the Use of Wild Mammals in Research." Journal of Mammalogy 92.1 (Feb. 2011): 235-253. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 5 Oct. 2011.