Wild hunting dogs are about the size of a German Shepherd dog. The hair is fairly short with irregular black blotches on a white or sandy-yellow background. No two individuals have the same colour pattern but in most cases the tail has a bushy white tip.

A wild dog comsumes more food per body mass than a lion. Because they are so active, they will kill every day where possible. When setting out to hunt they usually move in single file, but soon tend to spread out in a formation more useful for locating resting antelope. their speed varies from 50 km/h to as much as 65 km/h. When nit hunting they rest up or trot along at about 8 km/h. In this way they can cover great distances in a day. They prey heavily on the females of the antelope species - in particular parturient females - and new-born young.

Wild dogs lack strong jaws and teeth as well as sharp, powerful claws with which to catch and hold down a prey animal. They kill their prey by tearing it apart. One or two dogs choose the prey while the others trail. While some members of the pack follow the antelope, others will cut across the arc and the quarry will suddenly find itself surrounded by dogs.

They usually give up the chase if they do not run down their prey within about 3 kms. Evidence indicates that wild dogs usually select old, injured or sick animals, especially if the prey is large. The average pack size is 8-11, but packs of up to 50 dogs have been reported. Even when the whole pack is crowded around a kill, there is very little strife. Growling and snapping - characteristic of feeding lions - is virtually non-existent.

Gestation period is usually about 70 days and 2-8 pups are usually born but as many as 15 have been reported. Pup mortality is very high as very young pups are susceptible to disease. Weaning may commence at 3 weeks but the normal weaning age is about 2 months. Wild dogs care better for their young than many other predators. Both male and female regurgitate food for the pups. When young ones are about 10 to 12 weeks old, the adults leave the den area, followed by the young. Weaklings that cannot keep up with the pack are left to their fate. They either starve to death or are killed by predators such as hyena.

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