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Canis dingo

Understanding Australia’s Apex Predator

Bradley P. Smith

$59.99

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English
CSIRO Publishing
01 June 2026
Canis dingo is a captivating exploration of one of Australia’s most iconic and polarising species. Drawing on two decades of scientific research, historical records and firsthand fieldwork, Bradley P. Smith traces how a wild canid became entangled in myth, law and livestock conflict, revealing what is at stake in the way Australia treats its apex predator.

As new scientific discoveries unsettle entrenched views, and awareness of the dingo’s ecological and cultural value grows, Australia is being forced to confront uncomfortable questions. Is the dingo a native species or a feral intruder? A wild canid or domestic dog gone rogue? A threat to biodiversity or one of its last remaining guardians? The answers matter, because they flow into real-world decisions that determine whether dingoes are protected or killed across much of the continent.

Blending field science, published research, historical evidence and expert perspectives, this book cuts through longstanding myth and political noise to offer a deeper understanding of the dingo and its place in modern Australia.

""Beautifully written and literally bursting with factual information.""

– Lyn Watson, Founder-Director of the Australian Dingo Foundation
By:  
Imprint:   CSIRO Publishing
Country of Publication:   Australia
Dimensions:   Height: 245mm,  Width: 170mm,  Spine: 15mm
Weight:   713g
ISBN:   9781486318483
ISBN 10:   1486318487
Pages:   296
Publication Date:  
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Preface Cultural sensitivity warning 1 Introduction Part 1 A new arrival 2 Origins 3 Dingo Dreaming 4 The case of the vanishing tiger Part 2 The dingo 5 Secrets to survival 6 Following the sun 7 A wolf in a dog’s clothing Part 3 Dingoes in the landscape 8 The dingo effect 9 The feral invaders 10 Rewilding Part 4 An identity in crisis 11 Taxonomic tangles 12 Between worlds 13 The hybrid myth 14 True blue Part 5 Dingoes in the crossfire 15 Dangerous liaisons 16 The mad red hour 17 Wild dog menace Part 6 Embracing the wild 18 The baiting paradox 19 Breaking the cycle 20 Pathways to coexistence Acknowledgements Chapter sources and further reading Index

Dr Bradley P. Smith is a recognised expert on dingoes. He is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at CQUniversity, specialising in animal behaviour, conservation science and the complex relationship between humans and wildlife. He is the author of The Dingo Debate (CSIRO Publishing, 2015) and lead editor of Wildlife Research in Australia (CSIRO Publishing, 2022).

Reviews for Canis dingo: Understanding Australia’s Apex Predator

""This is the book that all Australians who care about the dingo have been waiting for. Canis dingo is a deep and stimulating exploration of the environmental and cultural significance of the dingo, and its complex and contested place in Australian life."" -- Professor Chris Johnson * ecologist and conservation biologist, University of Tasmania * ""Canis dingo is, perhaps, this century's most important book on the relationship between humans and animals... With an accessible style, Smith invites readers to grapple with the true identity of the Australian dingo: are they the clever, enigmatic spirit of wild Australia, or a villain and pest? ... The result is a powerful new understanding of these extraordinary predators and an urgent call for coexistence that can enrich our shared world."" -- Professor Brian Hare * evolutionary anthropologist, Duke University, and New York Times bestselling author *


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