Xenocyon (SciiFii)

The warg (Xenocyon wargii or Canis wargii) is a species of wild dog of the subgenus Xenocyon, most closely related to the dhole (Cuon alpinus) and the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), that originally lived during the Pliocene to the middle Pleistocene in Africa and Eurasia as several extinct species of Xenocyon, and the subgenus itself was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced throughout the modern wetlands, forests, open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, and scrublands across Eurasia and Africa to help boost biodiversity. The warg is a large wild dog species, growing to be about the size of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) and reaching about 105–160 centimeters (41–63 inches) in length, 80–85 centimeters (31–33 inches) at shoulder height, and weighing around 40 kilograms (88 lbs). The banded fur of a warg is usually mottled brown, gray, black, and white, although some populations in the more alpine regions may resemble gray wolves with the more dull fur coloration consisting of black, gray, and white. As a hypercarnivorous animal, the warg primarily preys on antelope, deer, elephant calves, aurochs, wild horses, adapiforms, monkeys, and non-human apes, although basal human species have been known to be part of the warg's diet. The wargs will sometimes prey on ground-dwelling birds and small non-avian dinosaurs such as sauropod hatchlings. In times of scarcity, wargs will readily eat carrion. Cannibalism is not uncommon in wargs during harsh winters, when packs often attack weak or injured wargs and may eat the bodies of dead pack members. Like gray wolves, wargs are cooperative hunters which care for their sick, injured and disabled pack members, and like the gray wolves, they communicate by howling, growling, snarling, barking, and whimpering. Wargs are also territorial and fights over territory are among the principal causes of warg mortality. Wargs are monogamous, mated pairs usually remaining together for life. Should one of the pair die, another mate is found quickly. With wargs in the wild, inbreeding does not occur where outbreeding is possible. Wargs become mature at the age of two years and sexually mature from the age of three years. The age of first breeding in wargs depends largely on environmental factors: when food is plentiful, or when warg populations are heavily managed, wargs can rear pups at younger ages to better exploit abundant resources. Females are capable of producing pups every year, one litter annually being the average. Oestrus and rut begin in the second half of winter and lasts for two weeks. The average lifespan of the warg in the wild is usually between 10 and 13 years, although some individuals have been known to live past 20 years, and captive wargs can live to be almost 30 years. The conservation status of the warg is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts and the warg's wide range.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii