Dhole in the Anamalai hills, India
Date 19 March 2008, 05:09:49
Author T. R. Shankar Raman https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Shankar_Raman
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dhole_Anamalai_2.JPG

The dhole (Cuon alpinus) is a canid native to Central, South and Southeast Asia. Other English names for the species include Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red wolf (not to be confused with Canis rufus), red dog, and mountain wolf. It is genetically close to species within the genus Canis, though its skull is convex rather than concave in profile, it lacks a third lower molar, and the upper molars sport only a single cusp as opposed to 2–4. During the Pleistocene, the dhole ranged throughout Asia, Europe and North America, but became restricted to its historical range 12,000–18,000 years ago.
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Caniformia
Family: Canidae
Genus: Cuon
Species: Cuon alpinus (Pallas, 1811)