Mammals: Interesting or Unusual Behaviour
- Richprins
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Re: Mammals: Interesting or Unusual Behaviour
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- Lisbeth
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Re: Mammals: Interesting or Unusual Behaviour
Not easy to watch
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- Lisbeth
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Re: Mammals: Interesting or Unusual Behaviour
Extremely rare white African wild dog puppy born in Botswana
4 Rivers is currently home to an extraordinary pack of African wild dogs with a highly leucistic puppy. Local researchers confirmed this is extremely rare and virtually unheard of in Botswana in the past 30 years or so.
In the 1990s, guides first spotted leucistic pups in the Kwando region. Males from the Kwando pack dispersed. Those males, identified by photos, established a group dubbed the Golden Pack in the Vumbura area. Some female descendants from this Golden Pack started another family in Kwara, where the leucism was still evident but somewhat diluted.
Leucism tends to be a lack of melanin in skin, feathers or hair. Melanin is the natural pigment responsible for most brown and black colouration. It is primarily genetic and varies in degree, going as far as pure white in rare cases (like this one at 4 Rivers) or as with the Vumbura "golden" dogs, which are a pale tan tone.
Currently, the puppy is interacting normally with its siblings and adult Painted wolves (as African wild dogs are also known). Although this little one is anything but painted! If anything, it's dominant in the hierarchy regarding receiving food from the adults! This pup might darken as it ages, and there is an outside chance that its whole body is one big white patch, which sometimes happens with domestic dogs and cats. We will keep a close eye to see how its colour develops.
https://youtu.be/GowY2blVaug
4 Rivers is currently home to an extraordinary pack of African wild dogs with a highly leucistic puppy. Local researchers confirmed this is extremely rare and virtually unheard of in Botswana in the past 30 years or so.
In the 1990s, guides first spotted leucistic pups in the Kwando region. Males from the Kwando pack dispersed. Those males, identified by photos, established a group dubbed the Golden Pack in the Vumbura area. Some female descendants from this Golden Pack started another family in Kwara, where the leucism was still evident but somewhat diluted.
Leucism tends to be a lack of melanin in skin, feathers or hair. Melanin is the natural pigment responsible for most brown and black colouration. It is primarily genetic and varies in degree, going as far as pure white in rare cases (like this one at 4 Rivers) or as with the Vumbura "golden" dogs, which are a pale tan tone.
Currently, the puppy is interacting normally with its siblings and adult Painted wolves (as African wild dogs are also known). Although this little one is anything but painted! If anything, it's dominant in the hierarchy regarding receiving food from the adults! This pup might darken as it ages, and there is an outside chance that its whole body is one big white patch, which sometimes happens with domestic dogs and cats. We will keep a close eye to see how its colour develops.
https://youtu.be/GowY2blVaug
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
- Richprins
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- Lisbeth
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Re: Mammals: Interesting or Unusual Behaviour
Strange to see a wild dog all alone
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- Lisbeth
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Re: Mammals: Interesting or Unusual Behaviour
Methinks that it must have been a young leopard, if not he would have known not to mess with baboons
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- Richprins
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Re: Mammals: Interesting or Unusual Behaviour
Kruger Sightings
@LatestKruger
7:30am
1 Leopard hunting
"The same leopard which got attacked by the baboons on Friday is hunting porcupines"
H1-3, 100m N of Tshokwane Picnic Site
5/5
Tinged by Nachi
1:49 PM · Aug 13, 2023
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