Puppies!

On average the pack size of African wild dogs includes 10 to 20 members. Only the alpha male and female mate, but the entire pack is needed to help care for the vulnerable pups. These wild dogs prepare the dens for their pups before they begin mating in February. The dens are used year after year and are frequently made from warthog or aardvark shelters. Females reproduce for about 8 years total.

The alpha female’s pregnancy lasts about 72 days and she can give birth to up to 19 pups, but more often the litter size is 7-10 pups. The litter size depends on the size of the female. The mother stays with the blind, naked pups constantly and is the only one to nurse them. She is fed regurgitated meat by the rest of the pack. At 3 weeks, the pups’ eyes open and they start eating regurgitated meat. The pups’ fur, which is black and white at birth changes to black, white, and tan.

As they mature, the pups are brought by the pack to the killed prey. They are allowed to eat first until they turn 1, at which time the hierarchy is reorganized. When the female pups have reached adulthood, they leave the pack to find a different one or to create one of their own. The male pups upon reaching adulthood, generally stay with the pack that they were born into. However, if there are more than 3 male pups in a litter, it is possible that they will leave the pack, too. Once the sisters find a new pack, the hierarchy is reorganized again.

The survival rate of African wild pups is only 44 %. The causes of death include disease, vehicles, and lion, hyena, and other wild dog attacks. There are many organizations working to increase the survival rate of African wild dogs, but this will be discussed in a later post on conservation efforts.

Picture from http://www.zooborns.com/.a/6a010535647bf3970b0148c7d35169970c-popup

Other references:

http://www.animalinfo.org/species/carnivor/lycapict.htm#Mortality

http://www.honoluluzoo.org/african_hunting_dog.htm

http://www.kalahari-predator-conservation.com/en/predators/african-wild-dogs

https://www.eriezoo.org/PDFS/Animal%20Fact%20Sheets%20for%20Website/African%20Wild%20Dog.pdf