dingo

/ˈdɪŋgoʊ/

/ˈdɪŋgəʊ/

Other forms: dingoes

A dingo is a wild Australian dog, a very distant relative of the pup curled up on your sofa. Dingoes are sometimes called "singing dogs" for the wide variety of howls they use to communicate.

Dingoes have lived in Australia for at least 3,500 years, and they're the largest carnivorous mammal on the continent (besides humans). These medium-sized brown and white dogs live and hunt in family groups, preying on rabbits, small rodents, and helping to control some invasive species like the red fox. Dingo comes from the Native Australian Dharruk language, meaning "tame dog."

Definitions of dingo

1. noun

   wolflike yellowish-brown wild dog of Australia
   synonyms: Canis dingo, warragal, warrigal

   type of:

   wild dog

   any of various undomesticated mammals of the family Canidae that are thought to resemble domestic dogs as distinguished from jackals or wolves