Madikwe Painted Dog Quorum
Madikwe Game Reserve, Kalahari Edge, South Africa · Africa · savanna
About this place
Investigate Lycaon pictus acoustic sneeze-quorum decision-making (Walker et al., 2017) and hyper-cooperative pack care.
For kids: Meet patchy-coated African painted dogs who hold friendly pep rallies and vote on when to trot off by sneezing!
Madikwe Painted Dog Quorum · 360° Habitat Camp
What to look for
- Red-sand pack rally clearing — Lycaon pictus acoustic quorum arena. Centre the open sandveld arena where packs perform pre-departure social rallies
- Kalahari umbrella-thorn shade — Vachellia tortilis ecotone savanna. Locate the Vachellia tortilis canopy marking the Kalahari-Lowveld biogeographic ecotone
- Open bushveld trotting track — Cursorial endurance & pinna cooling. Scan the open cursorial corridor navigated via white tail flags and radar-dish pinnae
Source: Walker, King, McNutt & Jordan (2017), Proceedings of the Royal Society B — Sneeze to leave: African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) use variable quorum thresholds.
Ask together: How does your family or group of friends vote fairly on which game to play or which park trail to take?
Field quiz
Kids' question: How does a pack of African painted dogs vote on whether everyone is ready to head out from a rest stop?
- By letting out sharp little sneezes until enough packmates agree!
- By stacking colorful pebbles in a pile
- By howling only when rainbows appear
Answer
By letting out sharp little sneezes until enough packmates agree!
Adults' question: In Walker et al. (2017), how did social rank modify the sneeze-quorum threshold in Lycaon pictus pre-departure rallies?
- Dominant-initiated rallies required ~3 sneezes, whereas subordinate-initiated rallies needed ~10 sneezes
- Only pups under three months old were permitted to vocalize
- Sneezes cancelled all departures for twenty-four hours
- Rank had zero effect because packs never rest together
Answer
Dominant-initiated rallies required ~3 sneezes, whereas subordinate-initiated rallies needed ~10 sneezes
360° photo: Dimitrios Savva (Photography), Jarod Guest (Processing), CC0
See it live: Live check: Madikwe Kalahari-Edge Waterhole Cam
- By day
- Elephants, white rhinos, giraffes, zebras, ostriches & Nile crocodiles Crepuscular activity peaks allow Lycaon pictus to avoid midday Kalahari heat while minimizing nocturnal encounters with lions.
- By night
- African painted dogs at dawn/dusk, brown & spotted hyenas, lions & civets Madikwe is a rare sympatric zone where arid-adapted brown hyenas (Parahyaena brunnea) overlap with social spotted hyena clans.
Other language: Русский