Stats

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

About

The Xoloitzcuintli (show-lo-eets-KWEEN-tlee) is one of the world's oldest dog breeds, with hairless dogs depicted in Mesoamerican artifacts dating back over 3,000 years. Sacred to the Aztecs, it was believed to guide the souls of the deceased through the underworld — and was often buried alongside their owners for exactly that purpose.

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