Important Body Parts of a Dingo

The dingo is a feral dog found in mainland Australia. Thought to have originated in Southeast Asia, dingoes were brought to Australia by explorers around 3,000 years ago. Unlike the domestic dog, the dingo does not bark, although it does howl. The dingo has adapted well to life in a harsh environment and is a successful yet silent predator, although it is also known to eat plants and fruit when scavenging.

  1. Eyes

    • The dingo can see in color, although not to the degree of the human eye. For the dingo, the ability to pick up slight movement enables detection of prey that is often camouflaged and therefore difficult to notice. The dingo is able to see in the dark, which also gives it an advantage when hunting.

    Ears

    • According to Save Fraser Island Dingos, a dingo's hearing is 20 times better than that of a human. This enables the dingo to listen for approaching danger. The dingo is also capable of swiveling its ears 180 degrees thanks to the 15 muscles which support each ear. This allows the dingo to decipher the direction and distance of the sound within six-hundredths of a second. The dingo's hearing is also vital for communication with other dingos as it allows the animal to pick up howling from a distance of 25 kilometers.

    Jaw

    • The jaw of the dingo is one of the physical details which sets it apart from the domestic dog. Unlike its domesticated relatives, the dingo is able to dislocate its jaw to grab prey. This enables the animal to be an efficient hunter. According to National Geographic, the dingo is an opportunistic hunter and will stalk its prey silently before making a strike, in which it seizes the animal in its strong jaws often before it has time to run.

    Coat

    • The dingo has adapted to a range of different climates and habitats throughout Australia by developing a suitable coat. Dingos living in a tropical climate can be seen sporting a single coat that is short in length, whereas dingos that inhabit the mountainous regions have developed a double coat that is longer in length. According to Dog and Kennel Magazine, this adaptation was seen as desirable by cattle ranchers who wanted working dogs that could tolerate the high temperatures. Because of this, ranchers began breeding dingos with working dogs to create hybrids. The Australian cattle dog is a descendant of these hybrids.