The dingo is the wild Australian canid descended from introduced domestic dogs.
Dingoes arrived in Australia thousands of years ago, probably with seafaring peoples from Southeast Asia. Archaeological evidence places their arrival at least about 3,000 years ago, although the exact route and date remain subjects of scientific study.
They are generally lean, long-legged animals with erect ears and bushy tails. Dingoes live in many habitats, from deserts and tropical savannas to forests and alpine areas. Their diets include kangaroos, wallabies, rabbits, rodents and other available prey.
People sometimes call dingoes “native dogs,” but their history differs from that of Australia’s older marsupial fauna. They can interbreed with domestic dogs, so genetically pure dingoes are difficult to identify in some regions. The famous Dingo Fence was built mainly to protect southeastern sheep country from dingoes.