'Dingo'

Dingo

25x 25cm giclee print

Dingoes are Australia’s only native canine and play an important role as an apex predator, keeping natural systems in balance. The dingo’s three main coat colourations are light ginger or tan, black and tan, or creamy white. The earliest known dingo fossil was found in Western Australia and dates to 3,450 years ago. The dingo’s habitat covers most of Australia, but they are absent in the southeast and Tasmania. Dingoes prey on mammals up to the size of the large red kangaroo, in addition to birds, reptiles, fish, crabs, frogs, insects, and seeds. The dingo’s competitors include the native quoll, the introduced European red fox and the feral cat. A dingo pack usually consists of a mated pair, their offspring from the current year, and sometimes offspring from the previous year, although young males are often solitary. The dingo is recognised as a native animal under the laws of all Australian jurisdictions. They’re naturally lean, weighing between 13kg and 18kg and standing about 60cm tall. They hold a significant place in the spiritual and cultural practices of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and feature in dreamtime stories and ceremonies, on cave paintings and rock carvings. Dingoes live for about ten years in the wild.