Sure, dogs bark, growl and howl. But did you know they can scream, chatter and whistle, too?<\/p>\n
The dhole or \u2018whistling dog\u2019 is a formidable and co-operative hunter that relies on these strange vocalisations to communicate with pack members across dense vegetation and bring down prey far larger than itself.<\/p>\n
With a russet coat and pale underparts, this canid could almost be mistaken for a red fox but is significantly larger and far less common across its fragmented Asiatic range.<\/p>\n
The dhole is found across parts of South and South East Asia, with surviving populations in countries including India, Bhutan, Nepal,\u00a0Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia and southern China.<\/p>\n
It was once found as far north as Russia and as far west as\u00a0Kazakhstan and Pakistan, but the IUCN states that the species has disappeared from more than 75 per cent of its historic range and most remaining populations are fragmented.<\/p>\n
The dhole is adaptable in the habitats it uses. It can live in forest, scrub, grassland and alpine areas, provided there is enough cover and sufficient prey.<\/p>\n
About the size of a\u00a0border collie, the dhole measures about 130cm long and 50cm tall and weighs between 12 and 20kg.<\/p>\n