FIFTH
COIN IN THIS POPULAR SERIES—Australia At Night Pure
Silver
Black
Proofs! Get the dangerous Dingo, Australia's wild dog, struck in one
troy
ounce
of pure silver, with a proprietary black treatment to simulate its
dark, nocturnal world!
This
low mintage,
one troy ounce pure silver proof sports a proprietary
black treatment that underscores the nocturnal nature of this family of
Dingos. The mother dingo and her pups are highlighted in the moonlight,
while the large male howls at the full moon rising over the outback. We
believe that the black treatment
may
be rhodium plating—but the mint won't confirm! Talk about
affordable
investments—
the
total
mintage is just 1,000! Get in on the ground floor now
with the fifth this highly collected series, Australia at Night!
Brought to Australian shores thousands of years ago, and by nature
unpredictable, the Dingo is Australia’s native wild dog and
largest carnivorous mammal. Noted for their speed, agility and stamina,
dingoes are active at night, hunting in packs between dusk and dawn for
prey including kangaroos, rabbits and wombats. Interestingly, although
it could be the world’s oldest breed of dog, the dingo cannot
bark. What the dingo can do, however, is swivel its head around almost
a full 180 degrees in both directions!
Australia's Native Dog, The Dangerous Dingo
The Australian Dingo is an ancient, free roaming, primitive canine
unique to the continent of Australia, specifically the outback. Its
original ancestors are thought to have arrived with humans from
southeast Asia thousands of years ago, when dogs were still relatively
undomesticated and closer to their wild Asian Gray Wolf parent species,
Canis lupus.
Since that time, living largely apart from people and other dogs, as
well as the demands of Australian ecology, has caused them to
develop features and instincts that distinguish them from all other
canines. Australian Dingoes have maintained ancient characteristics
that unite them, along with other primitive dogs, into a taxon named
after them,
Canis lupus
dingo, and has separated them from the domestic dog,
Canis lupus familiaris.
Dingoes
play an important role in the various ecosystems of Australia;
they are apex predators and the largest terrestrial predators on the
continent. Due to their habit of attacking livestock and the
vulnerability of sheep, dingoes and other wild dogs are seen as a pest
by the sheep industry and the resulting control methods normally run
counter to dingo conservation efforts. An important animal in
Aboriginal culture, the dingo is
depicted in many rock carvings and cave paintings.
Today, it is estimated that the majority of the modern "dingoes"
are also descended from other domestic dogs. The number of these
so-called dingo-hybrids had increased significantly over the last
decades and the dingo was therefore classified as vulnerable. "Pure
dingos" are getting rare, and are the subject of much debate and
conservation efforts.
The latest release in this sought-after series is Australia's
own wild dog, the resourceful and cunning Dingo. This medium-sized
canid that possesses a lean, hardy body designed for speed, agility and
stamina. Genetic evidence suggests that there has been no artificial
selection over the past five millennia, so that the dingo therefore
represents an early form of dog from 4,000–6,000 years ago.
They
have lived, bred, and undergone natural selection in the wild, isolated
from other canids until the arrival of European settlers, resulting in
an unique canid.
By the way, dingoes are
no joke—a dingo really did eat her baby!
Obverse
A mother Dingo rests with her two pups near their den, under the light
of a full moon, while a large male Dingo howls at the
same. The
scene sports a
proprietary black treatment to simulate the nighttime. The legends
AUSTRALIA AT NIGHT
and DINGO denote the theme.
Reverse
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II,
in crowned profile facing right. This portrait, featuring Her Majesty
wearing a tiara and pearl earrings, was executed by the
sculptor
Ian Rank Broadley. The legend ELIZABETH II, the date of issue and
denomination also appear, while the legend 1 OZ 999 SILVER guarantees
the weight and purity.
Packaging