Dogs

Aardwolves have a yellow-brow coat which includes vertical black stripes and a dark haired stripe on the back which stands on end when it is threatened or scared. It is a moderately-sized dog with a shoulder height of 40-50cm and has a tail length 20-25cm, while it has a length of 65-80cm from its nose to tail and weighs in at 8 to 12kg. All in all, it resembles a small Hyena and can easily be mistaken for one in the wild. In fact, it is related to the Hyena species, however it has evolved to exclusively eat termites and is incapable of eating [...]

A member of the dog family, the wild dog measures 750mm at the shoulders and the males are slightly larger than the females, weighing from 20-30kg. They have a mix of yellow, black and white coats where each individual has a a unique pattern of all these colours. They are carnivores that prey mainly on small to medium sized animals, with the Impala being their favourite prey. However, in eastern Africa they have been known to hunt large prey such as the Zebra and Wildebeest. They hunt in packs and will cooperate to tire out prey and then they will tear it apart and [...]

The Hyaena is probably the most synonymous dog associated with Africa. This canine has distinctive pointed ears and striped legs with a dark brown or black coat, white shoulders and a long creamy coloured mane. It stands at an impressive 800mm at the shoulder and weighs in at 40kg. The Brown Hyena is a carnivore and leads a scavenger lifestyle feeding on the carcasses of large herbivores which have been killed by other animals such as Lions. However, they will often supplement this with insects, birds eggs and from time to time other small animals. They have powerful jaws that allow for breaking bones [...]

The Side-Striped Jackal is larger and much more common than its Blacked-backed Jakal relative, with a grey coloured body with white stripes on each side, and a dark, white tipped tail and black ears. It has a modest body length of 650-800mm and a large tail measuring 300-400mm long, while its shoulder height ranges from around 400-500mm and has a mass ranging from 7-12kg. Perhaps surprisingly this jackal is omnivorous, and tends to eat whatever is available in each season. For example, it will eat fruit in seasons when it is abundant and will switch to small mammals such as reptiles, eggs and birds [...]