Ussuri dhole
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| Ussuri dhole | |
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| A captive Ussuri dhole at Kolmårdens djurpark, Sweden. | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Genus: | Cuon |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | C. a. alpinus
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| Trinomial name | |
| Cuon alpinus alpinus (Pallas, 1811)
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| Synonyms | |
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The Ussuri dhole[2] (Cuon alpinus alpinus), also known as the Indian dhole, Eastern Asiatic dhole, Chinese dhole or southern dhole, is the nominate subspecies of the dhole native to East Asia. The Ussuri dhole is also native to China, however it is probably extinct in most of its ranges in China, as well as in Mongolia and the Russian Far East.[3]
Physical descriptions
The Ussuri dhole is the largest subspecies. It has a bright red coat and a narrow skull.[2] Like the Tian Shan dhole, the Ussuri dhole has a woolly winter coat, white underfur and larger mane during the cold season. On the other hand, the summer coat is coarser and leaner. The dholes from southern Asia has darker coarse and leaner fur which is mostly found in the Sumatran dhole, with the red underfur nearly visible.[citation needed]
Habitat and distribution
The Ussuri dhole lives in forests, plains, grasslands, savannahs, steppes and alpine tundra. It is the most widespread subspecies, ranging from South to Northeast Asia. It occurs in India, Nepal, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand. It was believed to be extinct in Mongolia, Siberia and Korea, though it is disputed that dholes persist in those countries.[citation needed]
Hunting and diet
The Indian wild dogs feed on small and larger herbivorous mammals such as chital, muntjac, sambar, barasingha, chousingha, chinkara, blackbuck, hog deer, wild boar, water buffalo, nilgai and gaur. On few occasions, Ussuri dholes also hunt elephant and rhino calves, and may also feed on onagers and kiangs.[citation needed]
Threats and enemies
Dholes are listed as an endangered species due to low densities. However, threats such as poaching, illegal hunting and the fur trade no longer pose significant threats to dholes.[4] The species is highly protected in many countries, such as in Cambodia. The dholes in certain regions are mostly threatened by lack of prey and habitat loss.[citation needed]
Dholes are also vulnerable to diseases from areas where they share the same habitats with other canids like wolves and Eurasian golden jackals. Ussuri dholes may also be threatened by fellow apex predators such as tigers, leopards, wolves, striped hyenas and bears, and formerly by Asiatic lions and Asiatic cheetahs.[5][6][7]
References
- ^ Sykes, W. H. (1831). "Catalogue of the Mammalia obtained in Dukhun, (Deccan), East Indies". Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London. 1 (#1): 100. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1830.tb00018.x.
- ^ a b Heptner, V. G. & Naumov, N. P. (1998). Mammals of the Soviet Union Vol. II Part 1a, SIRENIA AND CARNIVORA (Sea cows; Wolves and Bears), Science Publishers, Inc. USA., pp. 566–86, ISBN 1-886106-81-9
- ^ Makenov, Marat (January 2018). "Extinct or extant? A review of dhole (Cuon alpinus Pallas, 1811) distribution in the former USSR and modern Russia". Mammal Research. 63 (1): 1–9. doi:10.1007/s13364-017-0339-8. ISSN 2199-2401. S2CID 20037994.
- ^ Durbin, L.S., Venkataraman, A., Hedges, S. & Duckworth, W. (2004). Dhole Cuon alpinus (Pallas 1811), in Sillero-Zubiri, C., Hoffmann, M. & Macdonald, D.W. (eds.) Canids: Foxes, Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., Jackals and Dogs: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. x + pp. 210–219
- ^ Pocock, R. I. (1939). The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Mammalia. – Volume 1. Taylor and Francis Ltd., London. Pp. 1–565.
- ^ Heptner, V. G.; Naumov, N. P. (1998) [1967]. Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva: Vysšaia Škola [Mammals of the Soviet Union. Volume II, Vol. II Part 1a, Sirenia and Carnivora (Sea cows; Wolves and Bears)]. New Delhi: Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation. pp. 1–731.
- ^ Heptner, V. G.; Sludskij, A. A. (1992) [1972]. Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva: Vysšaia Škola [Mammals of the Soviet Union. Volume II, Part 2. Carnivora (Hyaenas and Cats)]. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation. pp. 1–732.