Q 01/05

African wild dog packs appear to vote on whether to set off on a hunt by doing what?

A) Sneezing

B) Howling

C) Yawning

D) Whimpering

Answer · why

A) Sneezing

Sneezing works like a show of hands: the more dogs that join in at a pre-hunt rally, the more likely the pack is to leave. When a top-ranking dog star...

Q 02/05

The African wild dog's scientific name, Lycaon pictus, is usually translated as which two-word phrase?

A) Spotted hound

B) Painted wolf

C) Golden fox

D) Night runner

Answer · why

B) Painted wolf

Painted wolf suits the blotched, multicoloured fur. One conservation group promotes it as the everyday name too, arguing that 'wild dog' gives the ani...

Q 03/05

At a kill, which members of an African wild dog pack are allowed to eat first, ahead of every adult?

A) The oldest males

B) The nursing mothers

C) The youngest pups

D) The lead hunters

Answer · why

C) The youngest pups

The youngest pups eat even before the pack's leaders, a privilege that ends once they become yearlings. Lower-ranking adults stand guard and help feed...

Q 04/05

Which feature found on most dogs' front legs is missing in the African wild dog?

A) Webbing

B) Paw pads

C) Heel spurs

D) Dewclaws

Answer · why

D) Dewclaws

Dewclaws are the small fifth toes set high on most dogs' front legs. Losing them is thought to have lengthened the African wild dog's stride and raise...

Q 05/05

Coenraad Temminck, who first described the African wild dog, mistook it for which kind of animal?

A) A hyena

B) A fox

C) A leopard

D) A civet

Answer · why

A) A hyena

A hyena is what Temminck took his specimen for, naming it Hyaena picta. Seven years later Joshua Brookes recognised the animal as a member of the dog ...