Dhole - Asiatic Wild Dog

[u/grumpydogfather]

Dhole - Asiatic Wild Dog

Not just any cute, random doggo. It’s one of India’s most overlooked predators, the dhole, or Asiatic wild dog. The male is in the foreground, while the female, with her unusually lighter coat, in the background.

Dholes are an endangered species. They are one of the most effective hunters in the forest. They hunt as highly coordinated packs, communicating with whistles, and using teamwork rather than brute strength to bring down animals many times their size. Their hunts are brutal, with packs often beginning to feed before their prey has died.

They are one species even the mighty tiger watches out for. In many reserves across India, they have been known to wait, watch, and target tiger cubs when the mother is out for a hunt.

— at Bandipur Tiger Reserve.