Asiatic Wild Dog:
A rare Asiatic Wild Dog ‘Dhole’, has been seen for the first time in Ratapani Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh recently.
- The Asiatic wild dog, also called Dhole, is a wild Asian carnivore of the dog family (Canidae).
- Scientific Name: Cuon alpinus
- Other Names: Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red wolf, red dog, and mountain wolf.
- They are found throughout Central, Eastern and Southeastern Asia.
- In India, they are found in three clusters across India, namely the Western and Eastern Ghats, the central Indian landscape, and Northeast India.
- The Western and Eastern Ghats are stronghold regions for dholes.
- They inhabit dense jungles, steppes, mountains, scrub forests, and pine forests.
- Features:
- It is a sleek, reddish-brown, medium-sized
- This species tends to live in groups.
- They are great communicators and use an eerie whistle to communicate with each other.
- Conservation Status: IUCN Red List: Endangered
