Speothos venaticus

The head and body length of the bush dog is 57-75 cm, the shoulder height is 20-30 cm, the tail length is 13 cm; the weight is 5-8 kg. The skull is wide and the mouth is short. This shows that it has a strong bite force. The limbs are short, the tail is even shorter, the ears are short and round, and there is a round skull. Only the body is long and cylindrical. It looks neither like a domestic dog, nor a fox, nor a wolf. In taxonomy, it forms a subfamily (jackal subfamily) with the Asian jackal and the African tricolor hound, which is generally called "pseudo-canines" or "pseudo-canines". Because they all have some characteristics different from ordinary canines. As a dog, its appearance is the most unusual, because they look like weasels or otters. The feet have underdeveloped webbed feet, which are spider-web-like and have large slits. It is the only dog ​​with webbed feet. It is good at swimming and diving, and is adapted to living near water.
The coat of the

Origin: Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
The Bush Dog lives in forests, wetlands, grasslands, and jungles in South America. This species can live in many different habitats, preferring to live near water and has never been seen far from water.

Bush Dog (scientific name: Speothos venaticus) is also known as Bush Dog in English. It has 3 subspecies.

Taxonomic Notes Because Latin is usually used as the official language for animal classification to describe animals, the species and species names of the bush dog are very interesting. The description of the naming of the species SPEOTHOS remains a mystery. In fact, the name literally translates to "cave-dwelling hunter". Because the indigenous people's description of the bush dog and its life was found in the fossils collected in the cave of the ancient human site in Brazil, so maybe this is the origin of their name.

Bush dogs are nocturnal animals that hunt in groups and like to hunt large prey that is much larger than themselves. Bush dogs travel back and forth in the rainforest every day, spending a lot of time wading, swimming and hunting, which is why they always look wet. Every time they pass the border, they will line up and stand upside down to leave their own scent on each target. During the hunting process, they have an orderly division of labor, and there is always the most experienced leader as the main force of attack, and other members are responsible for driving and harassing prey. In particular, it can dive to catch animals in the water, which is unique even in the canine family. Observe the life of bush dogs up close. They live together in a den or hollowed-out tree trunks every day to sleep. They always act in groups, and the relationship in the group is very social.

Bush dogs are social animals. Although they sometimes hunt alone, they usually hunt in small groups of about 10-12 members, with the habits of jackals and African hunting dogs, which are collective hunting and long-term tracking. Group members communicate with each other by wailing, and they also make chirps, gasps, and howls as communication signals. The vision is poor when hunting in the woods. They have webbed toes, which are very suitable for swimming. They will take shelter from the rain in tree holes or caves.

Bushdogs are carnivorous and hunt in savannahs and tropical or equatorial forests during the day. They mainly hunt tailless agouti. They can kill larger prey. Their diet includes rodents, various fish, small reptiles, amphibians, and some waterfowl. They eat almost all meat that can be eaten.

The group observed by scientists had ten individuals. They maintained a hierarchical organization in their team, and through observation, it was found that the female bush dog leader could choose or adjust her own estrus period. And use chemical pheromones to suppress other female dogs from estrus. Females usually have estrus twice a year, which is very similar to domestic dogs, but the mating season is not fixed, and it is more based on the quality of life of the population and the situation of the habitat. The estrus period lasts for 4 days, and the female dog chooses the mate. Like most other canine communities, only the leader of the bush dog has the right to reproduce. They will also dig their own dens, but it is more common to use the abandoned dens of armadillos. The gestation period is about 2 months, and the female bush dog gives birth to 4-6 puppies in the den. The puppies are weaned after 8 weeks, reach sexual maturity at one year old, and have an average lifespan of 10 years. Male bush dogs will bring food back to the den during this period to help females raise the new generation. They use their unique sharp barking to keep in touch in the dense forest.

Although the species is widely distributed, it occurs at low density and is considered to have a moderate decline in numbers. The decline is due to habitat loss, reduced precipitation, tourism impacts, and road development, which have changed the living environment. It has been listed as a species of near survival.

Listed in the 2011 Red List of Endangered Species of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) ver 3.1 - Near Threatened (NT).  

Listed in the CITES Appendix I of the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Listed in Appendix I, Appendix II and Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 2019 Edition.

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