The pups begin eating regurgitated food at 4-5 weeks, and start roaming with the pack at 3 months. Born blind and weighing less than a pound, the pups stay in the den with their mother for a 2-3 weeks, then returns to the hunt as the entire pack helps to care for the pups. The dominant female is pregnant for 70 days and gives birth to an average of 10 pups. All the adults regurgitate food for younger pups and for any pack members who are sick. Only the dominant pair breeds and has young, but the entire pack helps feed and protect their large litters of pups. The pack is led by a dominant breeding pair that takes on the most dangerous roles during hunts. Their hunts are successful 70-90% of the time. Hunting cooperatively, they can take down not only a medium-sized antelope but also larger animals like the kudu and the wildebeest. Their large lungs and long legs allow them to chase their prey at up to 30 miles an hour for up to 3 ½ miles until the hunted animal slows down from fatigue.Īfrican painted dogs live and hunt in large groups called "packs." They work as a team, communicating with each other using high-pitched squeaking noises that sound like tennis shoes rubbing on a gym floor. African painted dogs don't stick to one territory instead, they range between 80 and 800 square miles, hunting mostly at dawn and dusk to avoid lions and other predators.
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