What is a dingo?
The dingo is a wild dog native to Australia. It arrived on the continent at least 3,500 years ago, likely brought by seafarers from Asia, and is now Australia's largest land predator.
Dingoes are medium-sized dogs, usually ginger or sandy in color, with white markings on their feet and tail tip. Some are black and tan or pale cream.
They live in a wide range of habitats, from deserts to forests and alpine areas. Dingoes hunt kangaroos, wallabies, rabbits, rodents and birds, alone or in packs.
Dingoes and people
Dingoes are important in Aboriginal culture and appear in stories and art. Some Aboriginal groups kept dingoes as companions and hunting partners.
Because dingoes attack sheep and calves, farmers have built long fences to keep them out. The Dingo Fence, stretching more than 5,000 kilometres, is one of the longest structures in the world.
On K'gari, formerly Fraser Island, dingoes are protected and visitors are warned not to feed them. Dingoes are not found in Tasmania. Interbreeding with domestic dogs has threatened the purity of dingo populations in some areas.