Dholes compete with larger apex predators for prey and space and have been witnessed stealing kills from tigers and even killing the big cat.
Dholes are remarkable in that they thrive – and tackle big prey – in regions inhabited by much larger predators, such as tigers, snow leopards, bears, wolves, and leopards. Competition for prey and space can bring dholes into encounters with these other apex carnivores.
Dholes have been witnessed stealing kills from tigers and hounding, and harassing the big cat. There are even unconfirmed observations of dholes killing the panther. Because, no verified stories of dholes actually killing a tiger exist, though, such tales may be more legend than reality. Dholes have been documented to have been killed by tigers and attacked by leopards, indicating both larger carnivores may be behaviorally dominant over dholes.
During the Pleistocene, dholes were found across Europe and North America, surviving in a land of saber-toothed cats and giant bear dogs.
Sources: (Anderson, 1955; Chacon, 2000; Daniel, 2014; Hance, 2015)
Image: Tambako the Jaguar
