To distinguish the Australian Dingo, it is sometimes referred to as the subspecies Canis lupus dingo. Thus, the Dingo can (and does), interbreed with the domestic dog. However, there are some interesting differences between the domestic dog and the Dingo. Unlike the domestic dogs, and like most wild dogs, it rarely barks, as this is a juvenile trait we have worked hard to retain in domestic dogs (unfortunately). However the howl of a dingo is commonly heard when staying out in tropical woodlands for any length of time. Unlike most domestic dogs, it tends to breed only once a year. The Dingo was probably introduced by humans. Based on fossil remains, this is thought to have occurred at least 3500-4000 years ago. Its absence from Tasmania suggests it did not arrive before the time the island was connected to the mainland. Many ecologists see its introduction as the reason that both the Tasmanian Thylacine and the Tasmanian Devil no longer survived on the mainland, and indeed it has probably had a huge and devastating but yet still largely unrealized effect on Australia’s mammal fauna.

Dingo