A dingo is a wild dog of the species canis lupus dingo thought to be related to the wolf. Dingoes share some traits with wolves and other traits with domestic dogs. The dingo is widely associated with Australia, but this species also lives in Southeast Asia and is not indigenous to Australia.

The dingo has a golden tone to its coat and some coats may be more reddish. White areas on the tip of the tail, feet and chest are common. Some Southeast Asian dingoes may be black and black dingoes are far more common in Asia than Australia. The dingo has a larger head and teeth and a thinner muzzle than the domestic dog.

Dingoes live in packs of up to fifteen dogs, but may also live by themselves. Dingoes eat small prey such as mice, birds, rabbits and lizards. They also eat larger animals including sheep, deer and kangaroos. The dingo is a flexible animal that can often climb trees. Unlike domestic dogs, dingoes mate only yearly. The average litter is five pups.

Dingoes don't bark like a domestic dog, but they do howl like wolves. They are said to be less social than domestic dogs. Hybrid dingoes that are dingoes crossed with domestic dogs are fairly common in Australia. The purebred dingo is said to only be able to be domesticated when it's a puppy. Some Australian states have laws that ban keeping dingoes as pets.

The dingo is a wild dog and if you come face-to-face with a dingo, many experts say not to make eye contact at all, but look down at the ground. It's also important to stop moving. The dingo may leave if it feels no threat, but may approach and sniff the trespasser. Making a loud noise is said to scare the dingo off in most cases.

The Eora people of early Australia kept dingoes as companion animals to help them in hunting. The European settlers began killing the dingo when it interfered with European sheepherding. The Dingo Fence was built in the 1880s to protect Queensland sheep from dingoes, but the fence did not wipe out the dingo. However, so many dingoes breed with domestic dogs that the purebred dingo is becoming increasingly rare.