- Short-eared dogs of the Amazon are more abundant than previously thought, researchers say
- 594 photos from camera traps provide largest dataset on this elusive species
- They are mostly daytime hunters and prefer dense forest habitats away from humans
Researchers have shared fresh details about the mysterious short-eared dog of the Amazon rainforest, which is so elusive that it earned the nickname "ghost dog". For decades, it was more rumour than animal. Scientists had only a handful of museum specimens, a few direct sightings, and almost no data on how it lives. Even veteran Amazon researchers rarely saw one in the wild. That's changed after 25 years of camera traps in Bolivia and southeastern Peru. Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society and partners set remote cameras across the Greater Madidi-Tambopata and Llanos de Moxos landscapes.
As per the study published in Neotropical Biology and Conservation, the effort produced 594 independent photos of short-eared dogs, which is the largest confirmed set of records ever assembled for the species. It turns out the "mythical beast" isn't as scarce as feared.
"The most surprising aspect of the results was that despite being an almost mythical beast, short-eared dogs are much more abundant than we had imagined," the researchers said in a statement.
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What the cameras revealed
The ghost dog looks like no other Amazon canid. It has a dense coat ranging from blackish-grey to reddish-brown, a large head with tiny rounded ears, short legs, a bushy tail, and partially webbed paws. The photos show it prowling through thick terra firme forest away from rivers and people.
Biologists long assumed it was mostly nocturnal and extremely rare. However, as per new data, these short-eared dogs are largely daytime hunters, and in some intact areas, they were detected more often than jaguars on camera. They appear to be solitary, highly sensitive to sound and smell, and pick habitats with thick canopy cover.
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The study also highlights threats. The species matures late, not breeding until around age three, and faces risks from disease spread by domestic dogs and from habitat loss.
Researchers estimate up to 30% of its range could be degraded by 2027 if logging and deforestation continue.
"The most important management strategy is the protection of Amazonian forest canopy, for which the creation and effective management of protected areas is the most important element, in combination with the sustainable management of Indigenous territories," the researchers added.
