Do desert dingoes drink daily? Visitation rates at remote waterpoints in the Strzelecki Desert

Abstract

Dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) are water-limited apex predators in Australian terrestrial systems, but observations of dingoes in arid areas far removed from water suggest that dingoes may not always need access to free water to persist. Data from GPS-collared dingoes in the Strzelecki Desert were used to measure waterpoint visitation rates of eight dingoes from four adjacent territories. Each dingo regularly went 3–5 days without visiting waterpoints in all seasons, and individuals of the same pack visited waterpoints at different frequencies and at different times of the day. The longest period without visiting a waterpoint was 22 days in summer and winter from two different individuals. These results have implications for places where dingo baiting occurs, and suggest that diet may play an important role in the use of waterpoints by dingoes.