African wild dogs do not generally exhibit sexual dimorphism and are about the same size as a German shepherd dog with large, rounded ears, a thin body, and long, muscular legs.
African wild dogs have large, rounded, distinctive ears, a slim, lean body, and long, muscular, slender legs with four toes on each foot.
African wild dogs differ from other members of the Canidae family in that they only have four toes on each paw instead of five, as they lack the dew claws of other canids. African Wild Dogs also have around 42 teeth, including premolars, that are much larger than in other canids. These larger teeth allow the dogs to consume large amounts of bone.
African wild dogs are about the same size as a German shepherd domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris). Males and females tend to be approximately the same size, but sometimes males are larger. East and West African wild dogs tend to be smaller than those in South Africa. The body length is between 75 and 110 centimeters (29-43 inches), the tail is between 30 and 40 centimeters long (11-16 inches), and they range in weight from 18 to 36 kilograms (39-79 pounds).
• Image | © Lip Kee Yap, Some Rights Reserved (CC BY-SA 2.0)
• Sources | (Animal Corner, 2019; BBC Studios, 2019; Mulheisen, Allen, Allen, 2002; Nowak, 1999; Stuart & Stuart, 2007)
