# Dhole (*Cuon alpinus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/dhole  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The dhole (Cuon alpinus) is a mammal of the family Canidae in the order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized, diurnal, terrestrial carnivore whose main foods include chital, sambar, wild boar, water buffalo and carrion. Adults weigh 14.17 kg, up to 15.75 kg; gestation lasts 61.5 days, litters have 4.3 young, and sexual maturity comes at 1 year. The IUCN Red List assesses the dhole globally as Endangered, a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 14.2 kg – 15.8 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 16 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Main food | asian elephant, barasingha, bos gaurus, bos javanicus, boselaphus tragocamelus, carrion and 34 more |
| Habitat | forest |
| Gestation | 60 days – 62 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4.3 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.05 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Canidae
- genus: Cuon
- species: *Cuon alpinus* (Pallas, 1811)

Synonyms: *Canis alpinus*, *Cuon alpinus alpinus*, *Cuon alpinus infuscus*, *Cuon alpinus javanicus*, *Cuon javanicus*, *Cuon lepturus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a dhole?

The dhole is a mammal in the family Canidae, order Carnivora. Other English names for it include red dog, Asian wild dog and mountain wolf.

### How heavy is a dhole?

An adult dhole weighs 14.17 kg, with values up to 15.75 kg reported. This places it in the medium size class.

### What does a dhole eat?

The dhole is a carnivore. Its main foods include chital, sambar, wild boar, red deer, goral, hare, carrion and fruit.

### Is the dhole endangered?

Yes. The IUCN Red List assesses the dhole globally as Endangered (EN), a threatened category.

### How long does a dhole live?

The dhole has a lifespan of 16 years, with values up to 16.1 years reported.

### How many young does a dhole have?

A dhole has 4.3 young per litter and 1.05 litters per year, after a gestation of 61.5 days.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Dhole (Cuon alpinus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/dhole