The Dingo in Australia and AsiaToday the dingo - Australia's native dog - is threatened by extinction and faces conservation problems comparable to those that beset North American wolves and coyotes. In a work of natural history that reveals both the captivating and the harsh faces of the Australian outback, the world's leading expert on dingoes presents what is currently known about their ancestry, biology, behavior, and ecology. Sharing personal observations gleaned from twenty years of research, Laurence K. (Laurie) Corbett introduces the world of the dingo to a wide audience from amateur wildlife enthusiasts to mammalogists. A subspecies of the gray wolf, the dingo (Canis lupus dingo) appears to have been brought to Australia at least three thousand years ago by Asian mariners. Corbett considers the evolution of these animals, their present distribution, and their relations with indigenous people in Asia and Australia. Enhancing his discussion with eight pages of color plates and thirty-four black-and-white illustrations, he then offers information on their identification and habitats and outlines methods for studying them. He explores the gamut of social and chemical communication among dingoes, focusing on patterns fo aggression, dominance, and submission. Corbett speculates on the evolution of dingo society in Australia and describes the social dynamics of the pack in the wild and in captivity. He also covers the dingo's feeding ecology, hunting tactics, and competition with other predators. In conclusion, Corbett examines the problem of crossbreeding among dingoes and domestic breeds and assesses policy options for ensuring the survival of the elusive yellow dog. Laurie Corbett is Principal Research Scientist at the Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre, Division of Wildlife and Ecology, of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Darwin, Australia. |
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Page 38
... Alice Springs as determined by microscopic examination of vaginal smears Stage of Cycle Epithelial Cell types External signs Duration ( days ) Leucocytes Erythrocytes Vulval tumescence Anoestrus All Present Absent None Vaginal discharge ...
... Alice Springs as determined by microscopic examination of vaginal smears Stage of Cycle Epithelial Cell types External signs Duration ( days ) Leucocytes Erythrocytes Vulval tumescence Anoestrus All Present Absent None Vaginal discharge ...
Page 39
... Alice Springs - is that the Fortescue River females were of low social rank and thus denied reproductive access to a male ( see also Chapter 6 ) . Gestation , litters and sex ratio Gestation , the time between conception and birth ...
... Alice Springs - is that the Fortescue River females were of low social rank and thus denied reproductive access to a male ( see also Chapter 6 ) . Gestation , litters and sex ratio Gestation , the time between conception and birth ...
Page 40
... Alice Springs 64 61-69 4.7 1-7 1 : 0.9 Canberra 4.0 - 1 : 1.3 Captive hybrids 64 59-65 4.3 3-5 1 : 1.0 Domestic dogs 40 Alice Springs 63 58-64 5.5 1-8 1 : 0.6 Table 3.5 Months when dingo litters born ( % ) CHAPTER THREE.
... Alice Springs 64 61-69 4.7 1-7 1 : 0.9 Canberra 4.0 - 1 : 1.3 Captive hybrids 64 59-65 4.3 3-5 1 : 1.0 Domestic dogs 40 Alice Springs 63 58-64 5.5 1-8 1 : 0.6 Table 3.5 Months when dingo litters born ( % ) CHAPTER THREE.
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abundance activities adult aggressive alpha animals appeared areas arid Asia associated attack become behaviour breeding Canis captive carcasses cats cattle central Australia changes Chapter colour common described determined diet domestic dogs dominant drought East eaten example females feral Figure Fortescue River region foxes frequently groups habitats howling human hunting hybrids increase indicated individuals initiated interactions involved kangaroos killed less litter living long-haired rats major males mammals mating mean months moved movements native natural northern numbers observed occurred packs particularly pattern periods Plate points populations predation present prey probably pups pure dingoes rabbits range rank rats recorded region relatively remained responding season seemed shared sheep similar Simpson Desert skull social sometimes South species success suggests Table territories Thailand throughout trap tropical types usually wallabies wild wolves young