Dhole Standing Proud

So, here you go, not a wolf, but a canid nonetheless: a dhole (lat.: Cuon alpinus, german: Rothund). Since 2004, this species is classified as "endangered" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with less than 2,500 mature individuals remaining in the wild. It is native to southeastern parts of Asia.

Photo taken at the Magdeburg Zoo - the dholes there were really fun to watch. I really liked their very playful behavior (every couple of minutes, two of them ran up to the third, obviously the highest ranking animal to butter it up, actively submitting energetically with flying tails. What a crazy bunch The "alpha" didn't seem amused either, trying to evade their kisses, but generally only holding still and waiting for the attack wave to fade away.

Also, I particularly like their stylish white fur protruding from the inside of both of their ears

Enjoy!