Canis lupus dingo

10 Dingo / Wild Dog at Rendezvous Creek, ACT

Canis lupus dingo at Rendezvous Creek, ACT - suppressed
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Identification history

Canis lupus dingo 16 Dec 2025 MichaelBedingfield
Canis lupus dingo 13 Dec 2025 KMcCue

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9 comments

Euphemia wrote:
   15 Dec 2025
Older sources say the dingo is Canis lupus dingo, however, more modern sources list the dingo as Canis familiaris dingo, indicating a closer relationship to the domestic dog than the wolf. Those are gorgeously healthy dingoes.
DonFletcher wrote:
   15 Dec 2025
And other modern ones say Canis dingo. The DNA says closer to Asian Wolf than to domestic dog.
KMcCue wrote:
   15 Dec 2025
Thanks Don, I was working on a reply quoting your recent article in the NPA Bulletin Vol 62, No 4 December 2025. Canis dingo is a more apt description based on recent DNA data. Also early European descriptions of southeast Australian dingoes included the descriptions black, white, tan and brindle.
Euphemia wrote:
   15 Dec 2025
As both dogs and dingoes are only wolves in neater clothes and all can interbreed and produce viable offspring, perhaps, I'll retract my suggestion and return to Canis lupus.
HelenCross wrote:
   17 Dec 2025
Amazing colours!
DonFletcher wrote:
   17 Dec 2025
There are strict rules about scientific names. An inappropriate name remains the correct name until a change has been proposed AND ACCEPTED. At this stage the Australian Faunal Directory still lists the Dingo as Canis familiaris, so that is its correct name.
Euphemia wrote:
   18 Dec 2025
That is what I originally suggested and I managed to do it without resorting to upper case lettering.
   19 Dec 2025
In Cavalier circles we'd call them Blenheims 😆
intouch wrote:
   20 Dec 2025
What a terrific photo! According to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (The Dingo Debate, editor Bradley Smith, CSIRO) Genus: Canis, Species: Canis dingo, Common names: Dingo.
The publishing date is 2015 - that's a fair while ago. As distinct from Canis familiaris, Dingos breed annually!

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Location information

Sighting information

Species information

  • Canis lupus dingo Scientific name
  • Dingo / Wild Dog Common name
  • Not Sensitive
  • Local native
  • Non-invasive or negligible
  • Up to 1538.5m Recorded at altitude
  • External link More information
  • Synonyms

    Canis lupus dingo Canus dingo Canis lupus familiaris Canis familaris Mirri

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