Imagine a dingo and a wolf fighting. Who would win?
We need to know which wolf and dingo we are talking about first. Taxonomy is a topic of contention for both animals.
The dingos are recognized as a species by some, but not others. dingoes are different in size and appearance depending on where they live in Australia.
There are Grey, Mexican, Eurasian, Himalayan, Indian and Tibetan, Red, African golden, and even ghost wolves. Ghost wolves are species we can recognize from the past using genetic information, but they no longer survive and no fossils exist.
There are wolves that aren't wolves at all, like the maned wolf in South America and the dire wolf.
Let's assume it's between a grey wolf and a dingo.
Why do dogs fight?
Fights occur for many reasons for wild canids. Wolves and dingoes fight for mates, to establish and maintain territories.
Let's get to know each opponent a bit better.
Both wolves and dingoes are capable of complex behaviors.
Grey wolves are hyper-carnivores, which means they feed mostly on other animals, such as deer, moose and bison.
A dingo is an omnivore with a wide range of diet. They eat everything from fruits to small and large animals. The dingos will also find food and carcasses.
dingoes likely occupied all of mainland Australia before the European invasion.
The grey wolf is thought to have once been the most widespread mammal in the world, with it occurring across Europe, Asia, and North and Central America. Humans have caused a decline in wolves.
The terrain is crucial.
The arena's terrain would be important. In open country, wolves and dingos are capable of moving at great speeds for long periods of time. Both can reach top speeds in the range of 50-60 kilometers per hour.
dingoes have the advantage in tight spots in terms of their smaller size, greater agility and flexibility, and climbing abilities. Grey wolves are usually in the range of 70 to 140 pounds, and can weigh up to 80 pounds for some males.
The dingoes are quite cat-like in many respects and have been recorded jumping 2 meters and climbing fences. dingoes will have an edge if the battle occurs on steep terrain.
If the fight is open, the larger wolves will be too much for the dingoes. The dingo's bite force is108, but they pack a heavier bite quotient of 136.
Wolves are much taller than dingoes, around 65-80 centimeters and 45-60 centimeters at their shoulders. It's possible that a wily dingo could run under the legs of a tall wolf and launch an attack on the vulnerable underside.
What about the pack?
The final factor to consider is whether the fight is between dingo and wolf. Both can happen as individuals or in packs.
Sometimes dingos can be found in larger groups of ten or more when food resources are plentiful, but they are usually found alone.
Wolves can be found in groups of between five and ten, but larger packs of 20 or more can also occur.
I spoke to a woman named Lyn who runs a centre. She says dingoes are flight, not fight. dingoes are small and can't rely on a large pack to substitute them if they get injured in a fight, so this is wise behavior.
She says that female dingoes are particularly deadly from her 30 years of observations.
dingoes are small, but they fight in a coordinated way. Males fight in traditional neck and throat grabs, but their bond other has a completely different mode that is deadly.
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The female will dart into the soft parts of the combatant that is threatening her mate. She targets the most "sensitive" areas, and aims to maim.
wolves will be too strong if it's pack vs pack. If a single wolf came across a pack of dingoes, the tide would turn in favor of dingoes.
Learning to live together.
Even though wolves and dingoes fight in the wild, they pose a small risk to people if we follow advice such as not feeding them.
The risk to us from domestic and wild dogs is far greater. tens of millions of people are bitten and injured by dogs around the world every year. 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs in the US each year.
Wolves and dingoes will never fight in the wild. The destruction of their habitats and persecution from humans are the greatest threats they face.
dingoes and wolves have important roles in our environment and in many cases have deep cultural significance for Indigenous people. We need to find ethical and sustainable ways to share our world.
This article is part of a series where wildlife experts dream up hypothetical battles between predator and prey.
The Centre for Integrative Ecology is at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences.
The Conversation's article is a Creative Commons licensed one. The original article can be found here.
