The New Guinea singing dog: taxonomy, captive studies and conservation priorities

Initially considered a new species of wild canid when discovered in the mid-1950s, the New Guinea singing dog, also known as Hallstrom's Dog, is more properly considered as a member of the complex of canids including the gray wolf, domestic dog and Australian dingo. The precise taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships of this group are matters of current controversy. Foremost among its unique features is its vocal behaviour including a form of howling marked by an extraordinary degree of frequency modulation and a number of signals. There is hope that non-hybridized singing dog populations may still exist at higher altitudes on Mounts Giluwe and Wilhelm in Papua New Guinea, and in highlands to the south of the Lakes-Plains region of the Idenburg and Rouffaer Rivers in Irian Jaya. A particularly important population, due to its isolation, has recently been found in the Mount Mekil region in far west Papua New Guinea. -from Authors