Bush Dog

:"For the conservative Democratic group within the United States House of Representatives, see Blue Dog Coalition."Taxobox
name = Bush DogMSW3 Wozencraft | pages = | id=14000836]


status = VU
status_system = iucn2.3
status_ref = IUCN2006|assessors=Sillero-Zubiri & Hoffmann|year=2004|id=20468|title=Speothos venaticus|downloaded=11 May 2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable]
trend = unknown
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Carnivora
familia = Canidae
genus = "Speothos"
species = "S. venaticus"
binomial = "Speothos venaticus"
binomial_authority = (Lund, 1842)
subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
subdivision =
* "Speothos venaticus panamensis"
* "Speothos venaticus venaticus"
* "Speothos venaticus weijie"

The Bush Dog ("Speothos venaticus") is a canid found in Central and South America, including Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru (West of the Andes), Ecuador, the Guianas, Paraguay, northeast Argentina (Misiones province), and Brazil (from the Amazon rainforest to the state of Amazonas). In spite of its extensive range, it is very rare; it was originally discovered as fossils in Brazilian caves and thought to be extinct. It is the only species in its genus, "Speothos".

In Brazil it is called "cachorro-vinagre" ("Vinegar Dog") or "cachorro-do-mato" ("Bush Dog"). In Spanish-speaking countries it is called "perro vinagre"("Vinegar Dog"), , "zorro vinagre" ("Vinegar Fox"), "perro de agua" ("Water Dog"), or "perro de monte" ("Bush Dog").

Description and Habits

The Bush Dog has soft long brownish-tan fur, with a lighter reddish tinge on the head, neck and back and a bushy tail. The underside is dark, sometimes with a lighter throat patch. Adults typically have 55–75 cm of head and body, plus 13 cm of tail, and weigh 5–7 kg. Legs and snout are short relative to body length: the typical height is only 25–30 cm. The teeth are adapted for its carnivorous habits, and uniquely for an American canid, the dental formula is dentition2|3.1.4.2|3.1.4.2. The Bush Dog is one of three canid species with trenchant heel dentition, a unicuspid talonid on the lower carnassial molar that increases the cutting blade length.

It is a carnivore and hunts during the day, preferably in wet savannahs and tropical and equatorial forests. Its typical prey is the Paca ("Cuniculus paca"), a large rodent. Although it can hunt alone on occasion, the Bush Dog is usually found in small packs of up to 10–12 individuals, which can bring down much larger prey. It may be the most gregarious of the South American canid species. It is a good swimmer (thanks to its webbed feet). It uses hollow logs and cavities (e.g. armadillo burrows) for shelter. Pack-mates keep in contact with frequent whines, perhaps because visibility is poor in the undergrowth where the animal typically hunts. [cite book |author=Macdonald, D.|year=1984 |title= The Encyclopedia of Mammals|publisher= Facts on File|location=New York|pages= 31|isbn= 0-87196-871-1]

The gestation period is 63 days, and a litter can have up to six dark grey pups. Lactation lasts approximately 8 weeks. The Bush Dog is sexually mature at 1 year and lives for about 10 years.

ubspecies

There are three recognized subspecies:
*"Speothos venaticus panamensis" (Panama)
*"Speothos venaticus venaticus" (Ecuador and Colombia (west of the Andes), Northern Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, Northern and Central Brazil and endangerd in Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina)
*"Speothos venaticus wingei" (Southeast Brazil)

ee also

*Maned Wolf ("Chrysocyon brachyurus"), one of its closest relatives.

References

External links

*ARKive - [http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Speothos_venaticus/ images and movies of the Bush Dog "(Speothos venaticus)"]
* [http://www.canids.org/species/Speothos_venaticus.htm Detailed Speothos Venaticus PDF article] at the Canids Specialist Group (CSG) site (2004).
* [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Speothos_venaticus.html Another webpage at Animal Diversity Web]
* [http://www.itis.usda.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=183829 ITIS database]
* [http://www.digimorph.org/specimens/Speothos_venaticus/ Skeletal morphology data from UT Austin]
* [http://www.lioncrusher.com/animal.asp?animal=8 From Lioncrusher's domain – carnivore info.]
* [http://www.brazilnature.com/fauna/vinagre.html Cachorro-do-mato-vinagre] (In Portuguese)
* [http://ambicenter.com.br/vermelhofauna1015.htm Cachorro-vinagre] (In Portuguese)

Bibliography

* Nicole Duplaix and Noel Simon, "World Guide to Mammals". Mandarin Publishers Ltd (1976).