Dwarf lycaon (SciiFii)

The dwarf lycaon (Lycanulus melas), also known as the African forest wild dog, the African dwarf wild dog, the African pygmy wild dog, the forest lycaon, the Congolese wild dog, the Congo wild dog, the Congo dog, the gray wild dog, the grey wild dog, and the Congo lycaon, is a species of wild dog, most closely related to the African wild dog, that originally did not exist, but has since been created SciiFii and introduced throughout the tropical rainforests and forested wetlands to help boost biodiversity. Unlike the African wild dog, which is adapted to the wooded savanna habitats, the dwarf lycaon avoids competition from hyenas, cheetahs, jackals, and the closely related African wild dogs, by being more adapted to life deep in the rainforests and tropical wooded wetlands. As a result, instead of having a slender body built for pursuit hunting, as in the case of the African wild dog, the dwarf lycaon has shorter legs and ears, but like the African wild dog, the dwarf lycaon retains a powerful bite for seizing small and medium-sized ungulates in its native range like duikers and Potamochoerus pigs, just to name a few. The dwarf lycaon has very strong social bonds, as strong as those of African wild dogs; thus, solitary living and hunting are extremely rare in the species. It lives in permanent packs consisting of two to 27 adults and yearling pups. However, larger packs have been observed and temporary aggregations of hundreds of individuals may have gathered in response to the seasonal migration of duikers or wild pigs. Males and females have separate dominance hierarchies, with the latter usually being led by the oldest female. Males may be led by the oldest male, but these can be supplanted by younger specimens; thus, some packs may contain elderly male former pack leaders. The dominant pair typically monopolises breeding. The species differs from most other social species in that males remain in the natal pack, while females disperse (a pattern also found in primates such as gorillas, chimpanzees, and red colobuses). Furthermore, males in any given pack tend to outnumber females 3:1. Dispersing females join other packs and evict some of the resident females related to the other pack members, thus preventing inbreeding and allowing the evicted individuals to find new packs of their own and breed. Males rarely disperse, and when they do, they are invariably rejected by other packs already containing males. Although arguably the most social canid, the species lacks the elaborate facial expressions and body language found in the gray wolf, likely because of the dwarf lycaon's less hierarchical social structure. Furthermore, while elaborate facial expressions are important for wolves in re-establishing bonds after long periods of separation from their family groups, they are not as necessary to dwarf lycaons, which remain together for much longer periods. Dwarf lycaon populations in Congo appear to have no fixed breeding season, whereas those in Gabon usually breed during the April–July period. During estrus, the female is closely accompanied by a single male, which keeps other members of the same sex at bay. The copulatory tie characteristic of mating in most canids has been reported to be absent or very brief (less than one minute) in the dwarf lycaon, an adaptation to the prevalence of larger predators, such as leopards, in its environment. The gestation period lasts 69–73 days, with the interval between each pregnancy being 12–14 months typically. The dwarf lycaon produces more pups than most other canids besides the African wild dog, with litters containing around six to 16 pups, with an average of 10, thus indicating that a single female can produce enough young to form a new pack every year. Because the amount of food necessary to feed more than two litters would be impossible to acquire by the average pack, breeding is strictly limited to the dominant female, which may kill the pups of subordinates. After giving birth, the mother stays close to the pups in the den, while the rest of the pack hunts. She typically drives away pack members approaching the pups until the latter are old enough to eat solid food at three to four weeks of age. The pups leave the den around the age of three weeks and are suckled outside. The pups are weaned at the age of five weeks, when they are fed regurgitated meat by the other pack members. By seven weeks, the pups begin to take on an adult appearance, with noticeable lengthening in the legs, muzzle, and ears. Once the pups reach the age of eight to 10 weeks, the pack abandons the den and the young follow the adults during hunts. The youngest pack members are permitted to eat first on kills, a privilege which ends once they become yearlings. The conservation status of the dwarf lycaon is Near Threatened due to habitat loss and poaching, however, thanks to the conservationists, the dwarf lycaon is a protected species.