Dingo (Canis lupus dingo )
Dingo. Photo: © Australian Museum.
Lived: 10,000 years ago (Holocene) to the present; first definite occurrence in Australia 3000-4000 years ago
Size: Length (head and body): 1.2m
Description: The Dingo is now Australia's largest living land-based carnivore. It originated on the south-east Asian mainland between 6000 and 10,000 years ago and was brought to Australia by seafaring Asian peoples around 3000 to 4000 years ago. Soon after the Dingo arrived, Australia's largest marsupial carnivores of the time, the Tasmanian Thylacine and Tasmanian Devil, died out on the Australian mainland. The Dingo's success is probably due to its ability to hunt in well-organised packs.
Early Dingos are probably the ancestors of all 600 breeds of domestic dog alive today.
Today the Dingo lives in most Australian habitats - from coastal areas to the mountains and deserts - except in Tasmania. After at least 3000 years here, it is regarded by some as a native Australian, by others a pest species.
Fossils: The oldest fossil Dingo bones in Australia are about 3450 years old. They were found at Madura Cave on the Nullarbor Plain.
Did you know?: Dingos only breed once a year, whereas domestic dogs can breed more often.
