Introduction
Many names are kndogsAareican wild dogs and often walk in packs. The common name is the African wild dog, while the scientific name is the lycaon Pictus(National Geographic, 2020). The name can be directly translated to a painted wolf. However, following their life and existence, studying their hunting behavior is essential for understanding why they have survived in their packs for a long time and how it supports their adaptability and social structure. For this reason, the study of their cooperative hunting behavior helps understate how they have evolved over the years and how different ecological factors have influenced their existence and survival within their packs as about their hunting behavior.
This paper aims to understand the hunting behavior of the African wild dog and how ecological changes have shifted their hunting behaviors over the years. The results from this literature review will help develop proper ways to protect the species from the understanding of their hunting behavior(National Geographic, 2020). From the four analysis standpoints, the information about their hunting behavior will help develop proper ways to protect them as they are currently endangered. These wild dogs are endangered because of the various changes in an ecosystem where the clearing of forests leads to the shrinking of roaming space. The shrinking space leads to exposure to human habitation, which leads to them being killed by humans. The large number of those who have been killed is because of the threat they pose to the livestock, as some have shifted their hunting towards livestock, but in a small percentage.
Thus, this analysis aims to help understand the cooperative hunting behavior of the African wild dogs to help protect them as endangered species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature can apply the knowledge from this paper to protect and reduce the decline of this species in the ecosystem. The body reports that the number of these animals is fluctuating and may not be fully reversed, and this fact is what supports the narrative of them being endangered species.
Main Body
Function
The cooperative hunting behavior of the African wild dog serves many functions for the species. These functions are rooted in their survival strategy and social structure in the ecosystem, as they are recognized as a pack, which is their group name(Jordan et al., 2023). The African wild dogs live in packs of about 15 to 40 members and often hunt together as a family. Before their population declined, they lived in a pack of 100 individuals and hunted in the same number in one pack. Their unique social structure supports their hunting and survival strategy. The main reason or function of their cooperative hunting behavior is to enable them to cooperatively care for the wounded and the sick in the pack. It also protects the pack, as it can scare away threatening animals when they are together.
The cooperative hunting behavior reduces aggression among themselves when they hunt together in the field. When the aggression is reduced among the members of the pack, there is little intimidation within the pack’s social hierarchy (Jordan et al., 2023). This is because every hunting pack has a dominant pair, which, for successful hunting, there has to be little intimidation in the pack’s social hierarchy. The pair in this species tends to remain monogamous for the entire of their lives. They communicate through vocalization, touch, and action, which keeps them united as a pack. The pack is mainly concerned with the welfare of the pups, which is the main reason behind them surviving in packs to protect and take care of them. Both the males and females babysit and provide food for the young ones as this is the social behavior of the pack, and it keeps them in continuity for years(Creel & Creel, 1995). The main reason for caring for the pups is to retain the survival age in hunting, which relies on a maximum number of individuals to make a large pack effective for the maximum hunting experience. The hunting behavior helps to ease chase and capture with a larger pack, making hunting so easy.
Phylogeny
African wild dogs have managed their hunting expeditions for years through cooperative hunting. There has not been a massive change in their hunting behavior because it has been this way for years(Creel & Creel, 1995). They operate in formidable packs of 20 to 40 animals. In the past, when the packs were large, they could go up to 100 animals in one pack. These were the days when their packs were the most giant hunting packs known within the animal kingdom. In cooperative hunting, they work together to pin down the prey. It helps them tackle larger prey such as the wildebeest, especially when they are ill and sick and weak, never able to create so much fight. They have been known to hunt by sight and mainly during daylight when they walk together to get food for the pups and the pack.
However, of late, they have changed their hunting technique, where they even hunt the human kept livestock but at a small portion. This is because of the reduced geographical area for hunting. They also supplement their diet with rats and birds(Creel & Creel, 1995). The composition of the larger prey includes the Thompson gazelle, young and juvenile wildebeests, Grant gazelles, and Kongoni. There is a slight difference in the species’ social structure with their ancestors, who had different lifestyles. They had a military and secluded lifestyle compared to the wild dogs who, despite living in packs, hunted cooperatively. Hunting success is in the group dynamics and ability to cut corners while in the hunting mode chasing the prey.
Causation
The causative effect of the hunting behavior emitted by the African wild dog is through their instinctive hunting model. They developed this hunting technique through instincts, where they often feel empowered and strong when operating cooperatively(Stankowich, 2003). Since they are less large than cheetahs and lions, they tend to feel more protected and empowered when hunting in groups and cooperatively as directed by the group leader who goes ahead of them to chase the prey. They can corner and keep up with the directional changes made by the prey while hunting in the fields. During the chase, hunting success is ensured by cooperative hunting behavior, which is more challenging with their perfection in shifting the direction changes while in the chase. They are hyper-carnivores and rely primarily on meat as their diet, and through enhanced stamina, they can succeed in their hunting as managed by the group power.
The fluctuation in temperatures has also made some significant changes in hunting behavior. They often hunt in the morning and evening to avoid the hot temperatures, significantly impacting the pack and the pups(Stankowich, 2003). Unlike other larger carnivores such as lions and cheetahs, wild dogs have small bodies and, therefore, less mass such that on an individual basis, they can manage to hunt large animals, but with the group strategy and spread techniques, they can successfully kill the hunt. Thus, the lack of enough strength as compared to other large carnivores, hunting instincts, and climate changes, the African wild dog loves cooperative hunting as the only way to support their social structure and survival strategy.
Development
The cooperative hunting behavior is essential to the species as it supports their cooperative breeding behavior. As said before, it supports the social structure and survival strategy (Hubel et al., 2016). Their behavior of group cohesion and raising of the litter collectively fully supports the hunting behavior they have created for themselves. It allows them to tackle larger animals such as antelopes, wildebeests, and gazelles. The hunting strategy ensures a higher success rate, making capturing the prey easy. Working together helps provide for their large packs within the more extensive home ranges(Hubel et al., 2016). The African wild dog’s existence would be at risk with cooperative hunting because they cannot handle large animals in solitary hunting mode. It also helps them manage the many threats they face in the extended Anthropocene.
Conclusion
In summary, the cooperative hunting behavior of the African wild dog is essential in supporting their existence. It supports their social structure and maximizes their survival strategy in the ecosystem. Their ability to kill in solitary hunting is less likely to succeed, especially with larger prey, which makes it essential for them to hunt in packs. The hunting behavior also directly correlates with their cooperative breeding strategy, where the pups are protected and cared for by the entire pack. Hunting in packs helps them quickly narrow down the prey by spreading out as the group leader leads. Thus, the cooperative hunting strategy of the African wild dog supports their social adaptability and the set dynamics of survival formed in the pack. Application of this knowledge by the central stakeholders can help assess the dangers faced by the species and develop ways to protect them against extinction.
References
Creel, S., & Creel, N. M. (1995). Communal hunting and pack size in African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus. Animal Behaviour, 50(5), 1325–1339. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-3472(95)80048-4
Hubel, T. Y., Myatt, J. P., Jordan, N. R., Dewhirst, O. P., McNutt, J. W., & Wilson, A. M. (2016). Additive opportunistic capture explains group hunting benefits in African Wild Dogs. Nature Communications, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11033
Jordan, N. R., Golabek, K. A., Marneweck, C. J., Marneweck, D. G., Mbizah, M. M., Ngatia, D., Rabaiotti, D., Tshimologo, B., & Watermeyer, J. (2023). Hunting behavior and social ecology of African Wild Dogs. Social Strategies of Carnivorous Mammalian Predators, 177–227. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29803-5_6
National Geographic. (2020, January 13). African wild dog, facts, and photos. Animals. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/african-wild-dog#:~:text=African%20wild%20dogs%20hunt%20in%20formidable%2C%20cooperative%20packs,dogs%20supplement%20their%20diet%20with%20rodents%20and%20birds.
Stankowich, T. (2003). The African Wild Dog: Behavior, ecology, and conservation. Ethology, 109(7), 615–616. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1439-0310.2003.00893.x
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