short eared zorros

[ethiopianwolfking]

the short eared zorro is a little known south american canid.
Short-eared Dog (Atelocynus microtis), also known as the Short-eared Fox or the Short-eared Zorro, is a unique and elusive canid species endemic to the Amazonian basin.[1][2] This is the only species assigned to the genus Atelocynus.[1]
Evolution and systematics
The Short-eared Dog's history is similar to that of the other carnivorans and many of the other terrestrial placental mammals of South America. After the formation of the Isthmus of Panama in the latter part the Tertiary (about 2.5 million years ago in the Pliocene), dogs migrated from North America to the southern continent as part of the Great American Interchange. The Short-eared Dog's ancestors adapted to life in tropical rainforests, developing the requisite morphological and anatomical features. Apart from its superficial resemblance to the bush dog, the short-eared dog seems not to be closely related to any fox-like or wolf-like canid (R. Burton; International Wildlife Encyclopedia, 2002). It is one of the most unique canids. The latest systematics classifies it as a species in the tribe Canini, and its closest extant relative is probably the distant taxon, the Crab-eating Fox (Cerdocyon thous)(Pietrzak, 2007). It has 74 chromosomes (2 x 36 autosomes + one pair of sex chromosomes).[3]

Two subspecies of this canid are recognized:[1]

Atelocynus microtis microtis
Atelocynus microtis sclateri

Appearance
The Short-eared Dog has short and slender limbs with short and rounded ears. The Short-eared Dog has a distinctive fox-like muzzle and bushy tail. It ranges from dark to reddish-grey, but can also be nearly navy blue, coffee brown, dark grey or chestnut-grey until to black, and the coat is short, with thick and bristly fur.[3] Its paws are partly webbed, owing to its partly aquatic habitat.[5]

It moves with feline lightness unparalleled among the other canids. It has a somewhat narrow chest, with dark colour variation on thorax merging to brighter, more reddish tones on the abdominal side of the body. This species possesses a large elongated head and long canine teeth, protruding even when its muzzle is closed. Its back often has a dark streak, while a brighter stain is on its tail. Like all canids, it has 42 teeth.

Typical height at the shoulder is 25–30 cm. Its head and body length is about 100 cm, with a tail of about 30–35 cm. It weighs about 9–10 kg.
info from wikipedia
any new infor or, especially, pictures, would be good.

[Jayness]

Thats very interesting ethopianwolfking, thank you for sharing that with us. =)

[Zethra]

This is a very interesting topic, ethopianwolfking, I never even knew what a Zorro is. ^^
This will be very helpful to those who wish to learn about this animal, thanks for sharing this.

[ethiopianwolfking]

i have found pictures!
heres the link: http://www.arkive.org/small-eared-zorro ... -microtis/

[Atropine]

Wow, I never knew the existence of this canid; thank you for sharing this with us! It certainly sounds like a unique species; I'll have to find out more about this animal.

[Alpha Female]

This is very interesting, I haven't ever heard of a Zorro. It's nice to leanr a bit more about them.^^
Thanks for sharing all this information with us ethiopianwolfking!

[Masika]

Like others here, I've never heard anything of this Zorro, they sounds rather fasinating though. Thanks for giving some info!

[blackscar]

Real intresting i knew the name of it but i didnt know what it is!

[SolitaryHowl]

Interesting, but next time, please state your sources. It looks like you copied and pasted from Wikipedia.

[ethiopianwolfking]

Interesting, but next time, please state your sources. It looks like you copied and pasted from Wikipedia.

oh, sorry, i thought i had put the source. ive added it now!