Dingo

Common Name: Dingo  

Family Name: Canidae

Scientific Name: Canis lupus

Status: In NSW, dingoes are considered a native species, but are not protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, and are instead managed under the Rural Lands Protection Act as a "noxious animal," which allows for their culling

Average Size: 56cm at the shoulder, 12kg

Average Lifespan: 8 years

Litter: 4 to 6

Gestation: 61 to 69 weeks

Weaned: 8 weeks

Background:  Maritime Southeast Asia to Asia. The oldest remains of dingoes in Australia are around 3,500 years old

Breeding: Polyamory mating system, can produce 1 litter per year.

Impacts: Dingoes play a crucial role in maintaining healthy ecosystems by controlling herbivore populations, competing with introduced predators, and influencing vegetation and soil health. Dingo attack livestock such as sheep and goats

Food: Kangaroos, wallabies, feral pigs, wombats, birds and lizards, small mammals e.g. rabbits, rodents