Bush Dogs

Discuss other canids (coyotes, foxes, dholes, etc.).

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Sambhur
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Bush Dogs

Post by Sambhur » Thu Oct 18, 2012 3:04 am

I searched around and realised that there wasn't a topic for bush dogs! So I thought I may as well post one for anyone that might love them, or has possibly never heard of them before. (: Here are some snippets of information on this type of canine:
The bush dog is a canid found in Central and South America, including Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, the Guianas, Paraguay, northeast Argentina and Brazil.

The bush dog (Speothos venaticus) has soft long brownish-tan fur, with a lighter reddish tinge on the head, neck and back and a bushy tail, while the underside is dark, sometimes with a lighter throat patch. Adults typically have 55–75 cm (22–30 in) of head and body, plus 13 cm (5 in) of tail, a shoulder height of 20–30 cm (8–12 in) and weigh 5–8 kg (11–18 lb). Legs and snout are short relative to body length: the typical height is only 25–30 cm (10–12 in). The teeth are adapted for its carnivorous habits, with a total of 40 teeth.

It is a carnivore and hunts during the day, preferably in wet savannahs and tropical and equatorial forests. Its typical prey are the paca (Cuniculus paca), agouti, and capybaras, all large rodents. Although it can hunt alone, the bush dog is usually found in small packs. The dogs can bring down much larger prey, including peccaries, rhea, even a 250 kg (550 lb) tapir hunted by a pack of 6 dogs. Bush dogs have skin growing between their toes, which allow them to swim more efficiently. 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.

The gestation period is 64 days, and a litter can have up to six dark grey pups. Lactation lasts approximately 8 weeks. The bush dog is mature at 1 year and lives for about 10 years. One of their closest relatives is the Maned Wolf.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_dog

Personally, I think bush dogs are quite cute! I find it amazing that a pack of them can manage to take down a heavy tapir.
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Wulvvy
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Re: Bush Dogs

Post by Wulvvy » Tue Oct 23, 2012 8:48 pm

Hm, I've never heard of bush dogs before reading this! And as a side note, you're right, THEY ARE ADORABLE!!!!!! :D
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Re: Bush Dogs

Post by BlackWarrior » Sat Dec 08, 2012 5:51 pm

Hmm. Never heard of Bush Dogs before im afraid, but after reading what your shared about them and searching up a few pictures, they appear to be a very unique canine indeed! ^^ They look like fuzzy little canine pigs or something.. haha with their short legs and long body. I may actually and up doing some further research on them, just to learn a bit more about them. :3
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Granger
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Re: Bush Dogs

Post by Granger » Sat Dec 08, 2012 6:29 pm

Wow, these little guys are super cute! Thank you for sharing, prior to this I'd never heard of them.

They do look like little piggypuppies, Blackwarrior. XD

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