With some scientific background in the wildlife field, I often try to stay up to date with new scientific findings. A recent study titled “All in the Details: A First Assessment for the Viability of Metabarcoding in Diet Composition Analysis of African Wild Dogs” caught my attention. I thought it would make a great topic to write about.
When it comes to understanding African wild dogs, one of the continent’s most endangered carnivores, every detail matters. Their movements, pack structure, denning behaviour, and diet all play a huge role in their survival. Until now, figuring out what wild dogs eat has relied on an old-school method: searching through their scat (faeces) for hair, hooves, bones, or other identifiable leftovers. But what about prey animals that leave no hard parts behind? Or meals digested so thoroughly that nothing recognisable remains?
This study steps into that gap with a modern tool: metabarcoding, which could reshape the way we understand these extraordinary predators.
Here’s a brief explanation of metabarcoding: it is essentially forensic science for analysing wildlife diets. Instead of looking for physical remains, scientists analyse tiny DNA fragments found in scat. Every animal a wild dog eats leaves behind genetic traces. With specific laboratory techniques, researchers can match these DNA fragments to the prey species the wild dogs have consumed.
The findings in the paper were quite different from what we’d normally expect from observations and the old-school method. Alongside the expected impala and other antelope species, the study picked up the genetic signatures of smaller prey: warthog piglets, hares or scrub hares, rodents and birds (specifically- Cape hare, vlei rat, and two francolin species). These species rarely appear in observational records or traditional scat studies because their bones are soft and digestible, their feathers or fur are easily lost, and they are often consumed quickly during opportunistic kills.
For wild dogs, these findings are important because they show the animals may rely on a more diverse prey base than previously assumed. Understanding these “hidden” prey species is crucial, as it reveals a more complete picture of wild dog dietary flexibility, how they adapt to prey availability, and how they may respond to environmental shifts or prey declines.
For me personally, these findings are fascinating and make me pay closer attention to what wild dogs get up to behind the scenes. Just the other day, I witnessed a wild dog feeding on a dung beetle. The study also detected traces of elephant and hyena DNA in wild dog scat, which I could hardly believe, since wild dogs don’t eat these animals. Maybe the DNA likely came from dung beetles that had fed on elephant dung, or from wild dogs rolling in hyena scat to mask their scent. Although these unusual DNA traces don’t represent major dietary contributions, the smaller prey species highlighted in the study do play a role in wild dog survival.
Wow, this is super fascinating Dean!
Hi, I think it is important for the environment. When removing a predator there is a damage to the chain. Expert adults are less likely to eat small rodents or francolins in my opinion. The larger and more expert the predator is, the bigger the prey. When species are reintroduced or new ones push themselves to new environments, I always ask to myself if preys have the time to respond correctly, and other predators are damaged and to which level. For example, where I live, foxes are put at bay by jackals, that seemed arrived spontaneously, while jekos were introduced from Asia and local lizards and preys have been disappearing…. the answer to jackals predominance lays in wolves, that are at the top of the chain, but they have been hunted again…
Thanks for this interesting blog on Wild Dogs. Es specially interesting is the fact that there are also traces of hyena and elephant DNA to be found in their scat.
How interesting, DNA is opening up so many new areas of nature from plants to animals. On a trip to Africa in September/October this year we were privileged to see several packs of wild dogs (one of my favorite African animals). In Hwange National Park we came across 4 dogs gobbling down an impala in a very short time. Apparently they had a den outside the park with puppies and the next day we came across 11 members of the pack back in the park. In Moremi, Botswana we saw wild dogs on several occasions. Such wonderful sightings.
Thanks Dean for sharing this fascinating information related to the meals of painted dogs. Who would have thought that besides the obvious diet of antelope species, it would also include birds, dung beetles and other small mammals. This study seems to prove that they will eat whatever they can catch in order to maintain their energy levels in order to survive.
Hi Dean, thanks for your very interesting and vital information regarding the Wild Dogs. I thought there primarily food should be the impala antelope, as there are are ample of them in the bush. Eating scrub hare and rodents can also help elevate the hunger pains until bigger prey are killed. Always an opportunity to learn something new in the bush.
Opportunists for sure! Fascinating info, Keagan!
Thanks for a fantastic education piece Dean! We love hearing about scientific breakthroughs and can only imaging that the information will help environmentalists moving forward.