Some of you may be surprised to learn that my fursona is not a fox, nor a wolf; nor is it a fictitious fox-wolf hybrid popular within the furry fandom (which is usually called a “folf”).
No, my fursona is a dhole, which is a real species of endangered wild dogs from Southeast Asia.
The word “dhole” is only one syllable, with a silent H.
The Furry Fandom needs more dhole fursonas.
Dholes Are Amazing
Dholes are very social creatures that live and hunt in large packs. But how they hunt is needlessly awesome: Where other canids (e.g. wolves) try to chase and then surround their prey, dholes spread out and use high-pitched whistles to coordinate their strikes over large distances.
Some other interesting notes from animal conservationalists over the years: Dholes have very low sexual dimorphism (so you generally cannot tell whether a dhole selected at random is male or female at a glance), and they’re known to do a handstand when they’re urinating.
You can learn more about dholes and dhole conservation efforts here.
The Symbolism of Dhole Fursonas
If you’re trying to pick a species for your fursona, how do you know if a dhole is right for you?
Here’s a short list of values and traits you can derive from dholes and dhole behavior in the wild:
- Do you value and understand friendship in its purest form?
- Do you value cooperation (n.b. without power structures and hierarchies)?
- Do you enjoy communal living (with a chosen family of close friends and/or a polycule)?
- Are you clued into dog whistles? (Okay, this one’s kind of a dumb joke because dholes are called “whistling dogs”, but a lot of dhole furries I know are very clueful about the alt-right’s bullshit, so it’s fitting.)
- Do traditional notions of sex and gender not interest you in the slightest?
If you said yes to any of those questions, or if you simply can’t decide between fox or wolf and don’t feel like phoning it in with a fictitious hybrid, a dhole may be a good fursona choice for you.
Are Dhole Fursuits Beautiful?
Yes. Very yes.
Coming soon (probably 2021) to this section of the blog post: My fursuit.
5 replies on “All About Dholes and Dhole Fursonas”
Hot take: dhole whistles are a top 5 animal noise.
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