Dingo vs Dog: What's the Difference?
Dingoes come from an early branch of the dog family tree, split off before today’s domestic breeds. The dingo is a carnivore; the dog is an omnivore.
Quick answers
They differ on 5 of the 8 quick answers: carnivore, domesticated, awake when, kept as a pet, do people eat it.
| Question | Dingo | Dog |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Mammal | Mammal |
| Carnivore? differs | Yes | Omnivore |
| Dangerous? | Can be | Can be |
| Domesticated? differs | No | Yes |
| Awake when? differs | Day & night | Daytime |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? differs | No | Commonly |
| Do people eat it? differs | No | In places |
At a glance
| Question | Dingo | Dog |
|---|---|---|
| Found in differs | Australia | Worldwide |
| Habitat differs | Grassland, Desert, Forest, Scrub | Towns, Farmland |
| Size | Medium | Medium |
| Weight differs | – | Under 1 kg to about 70 kg, depending on breed |
| Legs | 4 | 4 |
| Covered in | Fur | Fur |
| Lives | In packs | In packs |
| Lives for | 10–13 years | 10–13 years |
| Can fly | No | No |
| Swims | Yes | Yes |
| Lays eggs | No | No |
About each
Dingo
A lean, hardy wild dog of Australia, ginger, black-and-tan or creamy white. Its lineage split early from the one that led to today’s domestic dogs; the oldest dingo remains in Australia are about 3,500 years old.
Dog
The first animal people domesticated, bred from wolves by hunter-gatherers more than 14,000 years ago, before farming began. There are around 450 official breeds, more than for any other mammal.
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Commonly confused animals.