Trivia question for Feb-01-2011

Well it’s Carter’s turn and here is his Species of the day: This is a fearsome predator capable of taking down prey up to 30-times it’s weight.  They hunt in well organized packs and have even been known to steal the catch of Tigers.

These guys are hunted down and even poisoned by humans because they compete for the same wild game.  They are very social within their pack and even display table manners by allowing each member to tear a chunk of flesh off their kill.

So here’s our questions:  Can you tell us what this animal is and tell us where they can be found?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Looks like Carter found one that not too many folks had seen before.  We actually learned about this species while posting a previous trivia question on the Banded Mongoose which had these animals listed as one of their main predators.  The animal we featured is the Dhole.

The Dhole is a species of canid native to Southeast Asia. They differ from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats. The dholes are classed as endangered by the IUCN, due to ongoing habitat loss, depletion of its prey base, competition from other predators, persecution and possibly diseases from domestic and feral dogs.

Unlike most social canids (but similar to African wild dogs), dholes let their pups eat first at a kill. Dhole packs are bold enough to attack large and dangerous animals such as wild boar, water buffalo, takin, and even tigers.  Dhole can be found across Souther and Eastern Asia.  Today, the species has disappeared from large tracts of India, China and central Asia.  Here is more information on these cool dogs: Dhole

Thanks for playing along 😉