African hairless dogs, also known as Abyssinian sand terriers, were

hairless dog A hairless dog is a dog with a Genetics, genetic disposition for hairlessness and hair loss. There are two known types of genetic hairlessness, a Dominant gene, dominant and a recessive type. The dominant type is caused by ectodermal dysplasia as ...

s from

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. It is unknown if any examples still exist. This breed of dog, also known as the African Sand Dog, is known for being “semi-wild” meaning they tend to follow rather than live with the cattle breeders; though they occasionally serve as valuable companions on bunting trips. Among the names of this “breed” are the words Egyptian, Abyssinian, and Zulu which simply suggests that the genes for hairlessness have appeared independently in multiple areas of the continent as a cooling system in high heat. A number of early European accounts from Africa mention a small hairless dog. It was described as fast moving with a short, sharp bark, and it was said to be either sandy-coloured or blue-black. Contemporary reports indicated it may or may not have had a crest of stiff hair on its head and a tuft on its tail, although photographs fail to show any hair. Three examples were brought to Britain in 1833 and were displayed at the

London Zoo London Zoo, also known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for science, scientific study. In 1831 o ...

as Egyptian Hairless dogs; a specimen dating from 1903 is preserved at the

Natural History Museum at Tring The Natural History Museum at Tring was the private museum of Lionel Walter, 2nd Baron Rothschild; today it is under the control of the Natural History Museum, London. It houses one of the finest collections of stuffed mammals, birds, reptiles ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. These accounts of the African hairless dogs suggest that they were encountered across the continent. They are believed to be extinct, although no thorough search has been conducted across Africa to confirm they no longer exist.

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* Hairless dogs Dog breeds originating in Africa {{Extinct dog breeds

See also

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External links