Its ears are rounded, and its hooded amber eyes portray an intelligent nature. Within the canid family the dhole is something of an enigma. Among its unusual features is a strange whistle call which it uses to re-assemble the pack when animals become separated in dense forest. The dhole also has more teets than most other dogs and has a shorter jaw with one less molar on each side of its lower jaw. The dhole is a highly social and cooperative animal, living in organised packs of around 10 individuals.
Groups often contain more males than females, with usually just one breeding female.
Occasionally, large groups of over 40 dogs have been seen, possibly arising from the temporary fusion of neighbouring packs. Together with the grey wolf, African hunting dog and Amazonian bush dog, the dhole is one of the few dogs that regularly hunts in packs. In India, one of the dhole's favourite prey is the medium-sized Axis deer. With such dangerous quarry, the dogs can literally risk their lives to secure the food they need to survive. Communal hunting is particularly important during the breeding season when pack members return to the den to regurgitate food for the mother and pups.