Stats

Lifespan: 10-13 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Omnivore
Activity: Cathemeral
Social: Pack
Biome: Worldwide human habitats
Range: Worldwide
Movement: Running
Breeding: Live Birth
Defense: Speed
Status: Common

About

A small Belgian barge dog whose name means 'little captain' in Flemish — originally bred to guard canal boats and hunt rats below decks. Jet-black with a thick mane-like ruff, a naturally bobbed tail, and a fox-like face, the Schipperke packs boundless curiosity into a compact 3–9 kg frame.

Life cycle

1.
newborn pup
A blind newborn pup nurses and sleeps, completely dependent on its mother.
2.
juvenile
A weaned pup wrestles with littermates, learns its place in the pack, and starts eating meat.
3.
adolescent
An adolescent canid reaches near-adult size with long legs and a thinner coat, learning to hunt cooperatively.
4.
adult
Fully grown and hunting alongside the pack.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Canis
Species: Canis familiaris