Do female dingo–dog hybrids breed like dingoes or dogs?

Abstract

Hybridisation between animals that breed once (e.g. dingoes) and twice (e.g. domestic dogs) annually may produce offspring that breed either way. This question was investigated by determining the breeding seasonality of female dingo–dog hybrids in south-east Queensland, Australia, through evaluating macroscopic and histological features of 71 female reproductive tracts. All animals were sourced from urban areas where levels of hybridisation are generally high. Most animals trapped in summer were pups less than 6 months of age. A peak of uterus diameter and weight coincided with a peak of corpus luteum in winter. The follicular phase was characterised by growing follicles, ~1–3 mm wide, in late summer and autumn. Only two of the animals (1.4%) showed out-of-season reproductive cycles: one was found with corpus luteum in summer and another in autumn. Our data clearly show that hybrids have a single annual breeding season in winter, exhibiting the same breeding seasonality as dingoes. Our findings are similar to those found in the New Guinea singing dog. Future studies should be conducted to understand and exploit the mechanism and drivers of the breeding seasonality of dingo–dog hybrids to develop more effective management of their populations.

Taxonomic status of the Australian dingo: the case for Canis dingo Meyer, 1793

“…The proposed definition of a dingo by Smith and Savolainen (2015) excludes all dingoes that have dog ancestry (as well as free-living domestic dogs with modern domestic ancestry, such as a pet dog that has escaped a farm, a hunting dog abandoned in the bush, or a village dog). However, given that most wild dingo-dog hybrids have a higher proportion of dingo ancestry than domestic dog ancestry (Stephens et al 2015), and in the wild hybrids express a 'dingo identity' in morphology (Parr et al 2016), ecology (Glen 2010), and seasonality (Cursino et al 2017), not all hybrids should be completely excluded from modern definitions of the dingo. Instead, considering vonHoldt et al's (2017) suggestion of a 10-20% threshold of genomic admixture (e.g., between coyotes and wolves), we concur that an adjustment might be needed to the existing definition of dingoes to include those with at least 75% dingo genetic identity (Glen 2010;Purcell 2010;Parr et al 2016).…”

“…Reproductive seasonality clearly differentiates dingoes from the more recently evolved domestic dog groups that rely on anthropogenic food sources (Lord et al 2013). Like all wild canids, male and female dingoes follow a seasonal reproductive pattern (one litter per year), that is related to, but not completely determined by, photoperiod (Lord et al 2013;Smith 2015a, Cursino et al 2017. For dingoes, the breeding season typically occurs in the autumn (February-June), with whelping occurring in the winter (June-August) (Catling 1979;Catling et al 1992;Thomson 1992a;Jones & Stevens 1988;Catling et al 1992;Smith 2015a).…”

Continental patterns in the diet of a top predator: Australia's dingo

“…Cursino et al. ) to dingoes. Thus, these animals are likely to have similar diets and perform similar ecological functions to dingoes.…”

Before Azaria: A Historical Perspective on Dingo Attacks

“…It is also important to consider what time of year the historical dingo attacks were supposed to have taken place. Dingoes have one annual oestrus cycle, with the breeding season typically commencing around March and finishing in May [ 1 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 ]. The dingo whelping season, when litters are born, is in winter (June–August), pups are weaned in the spring (September–November), and juvenile dingoes are trained to hunt and survive in the summer (December–February) [ 50 ].…”