Everything about The Short-eared Dog totally explained
The
Short-eared Dog (
Atelocynus microtis), also known as the
Short-eared Fox or the
Short-eared Zorro, is a
canid species endemic to the
Amazonian basin.
Two subspecies of this canid are recognized:
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 nad body length is about 100 cm, with a tail of about 30-35 cm. It weighs about 9-10 kg.
Diet
This wild dog is mainly a
carnivore, with
fish,
insects, and small
mammals making up the majority of its diet. An investigation led in
Cocha Cashu Biological Station in
Peru into the proportions of different kinds of food in this animal's diet produced the following results: fish 28%, insects 17%, small mammals 13%, various
fruits 10%,
crabs 10%,
frogs 4%,
reptiles 3%,
birds 10%.
Reproduction and behaviour
This species has some unique behaviours not typical to other canids.
Females of this species are about almost 1/3 larger than
males. The excited male sprays a musk produced by the tail glands. It prefers a solitary lifestyle, in forest areas. It avoids humans in the
natural environment. Agitated males will raise the hairs on its back.
Lifespan and gestation period are unknown, although it's assumed that
sexual maturity is reached at about one year of age.
[
]Threats, survival and ecological concerns
The Short-eared Dog competes for food with the Jaguar, the Cougar, the Ocelot, the Margay and the Giant Otter, and compete for territory with the Bush Dog.
Feral dogs pose a prominent threat to the population of the Short-eared Dog, as they proliferate the spread of diseases such as canine distemper and rabies to the wild population. Humans also contribute to the extermination of the Short-eared Dog via aggrandizement of the species' natural habitat and the destruction of tropical rainforests. Scientists still have little knowledge on its ecology.
Status of Conservation
The Short-eared Dog is currently considered data deficient by IUCN.[
]Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized:
Atelocynus microtis microtis, Sclater, 1882.
Atelocynus microtis sclateri, J. A. Allen, 1905Further Information
Get more info on 'Short-eared Dog'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://short-eared_dog.totallyexplained.com">Short-eared Dog Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
