Although dholes are not fast runners, they have good stamina, and will pursue prey for hours until they finally succumb to exhaustion.

Life span
Dholes can live for 15 to 16 years in captivity.

Statistics
Head and body length: 88-113cm, Tail Length: 40-50cm, Shoulder Height: 42-55cm, Weight: 10-17kg.

Physical description
The upper body-parts of dholes are rusty red, the under-parts are pale, and the tail is tipped with black. In the Northern range, the winter coat is long, soft, dense and bright red, and the summer coat is shorter.

Distribution
Dholes live in Central Asia, India, Malay Peninsula and the Islands of Sumatra.

Habitat
Dholes inhabit dense forest and thick scrub jungle.

Diet
They feed on deer, wild pigs, mountain sheep, guar and antelope.

Behaviour
There are typically 5-12 dholes in a pack, but up to 40 have been reported. A pack consists of a mated pair and their offspring. When hunting, the pack surrounds the prey, blocking its escape.

Reproduction
Dholes have a gestation period of 60-62 days, after which the female gives birth to 4-6 pups.

Conservation status
Dholes are classified as Vulnerable by the 2000 IUCN Red List after many years of persecution by man, elimination of their prey and forest destruction.