Dhole, << dohl, >> is a wild dog of Asia. It grows up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) tall at the shoulder and weighs up to 44 pounds (20 kilograms). An adult commonly has rusty-red fur with a paler belly and a black-tipped tail.
Dholes usually live in packs of 5 to 12 family members. But several packs may gather into larger groups of more than 20 animals. Packs hunt during daylight or on moonlit nights. Hunting in packs enables dholes to prey on large animals, including antelope, deer, mountain sheep, and wild pigs. Dholes also eat rodents, lizards, insects, and berries. The dogs communicate with one another through a wide variety of noises. They can bark, growl, scream, and whine. Dholes even use high-pitched whistles that may help keep the pack together during a chase.
Female dholes usually give birth to a litter of 4 to 6 pups after a pregnancy of 60 to 62 days. Mothers keep their pups in dens along stream banks or among boulders. Other members of the pack bring back food for both the mother and her young.
Dholes once were common throughout much of Asia. However, human beings have hunted and poisoned them and destroyed much of their habitat. In many parts of Asia, dholes now live mostly in such protected areas as nature preserves. Dholes are in danger of dying out completely.
