With a bear face, fox mouth, webbed feet and cat-like teeth, is the Bush dog really a type of dog?

Bush dog, Serval dog, bush dog or maned dog is an animal that lives in Central and South America .

Bush dog is a species of the genus Serval in the family Canidae . Although they are more distantly related in the canine family, bush dogs still have some things in common with foxes, wolves, and dogs.

Bushy dogs are mainly found in South America , especially in the tropical rainforest areas of Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru. It is the only extant species of the genus Serval, and genetic evidence suggests that its closest living relatives are the maned wolves of central South America and the African wild dog.

Bushy dogs have a very unique appearance. They are medium-sized dogs with thick, short, smooth brown or reddish-brown fur. Typically, the head and body length of adults is about 57 to 75 cm, tail length is about 12.5 to 15 cm, shoulder height is 20 to 30 cm and weighs about 5 to 8 kg.

Compared to its body, Serval dogs have relatively short legs, a short nose, and small, round ears. This body structure allows them to adapt perfectly to the tropical rainforest environment.

However, unlike other dogs, bush dogs have incomplete webbing between their toes; this special webbing structure allows them to swim quickly in rivers, lakes and swamps, even crossing deep water. , chasing fish and other animals in the water.

This swimming skill is not only key to hunting but also one of their secrets to survival. This is why the Serval dog is called another name 'water dog'.

Bushy dogs are carnivores and hunt during the day. Their main prey includes woodpeckers, pythons, badgers and capybaras.

Bushy dogs are standard social animals. Although they are capable of hunting alone, they often hunt cooperatively in small groups. This group coordination allows them to hunt larger prey, including wild boars and medium to large animals several times their size!

It was reported that a hunting team of six bushy dogs cooperated to kill a tapir weighing up to 250kg. Their hunting strategy is to chase the tapir and bite its legs until the tapir cannot escape.

When hunting for prey, they also display a cooperative strategy - some dogs will chase tapirs on land, while others will wait for an opportunity in the water, as tapirs often try to escape into the water when being attacked.

Bushy dogs have a total of 38 teeth, 6 fewer molars to grind food than normal dogs. In this respect, they are less like omnivorous dogs and more like cats.

Brush dogs are one of the most social dogs in South America. They use hollow logs and burrows dug by armadillos as nests, and their young are often born in underground burrows.

However, the group relationships of bushy dogs are also very special. The social relationship between them has a strict hierarchy. Only pairs of individuals in the group have the right to reproduce, while low-status members will have the responsibility to raise the young together.

Bushy dogs can breed and mate year-round, with each heat typically lasting up to two weeks and occurring every 15 to 22 days.

The gestation period for female bush dogs usually lasts from 65 to 83 days. Under normal conditions, each litter will give birth to 3 to 6 puppies, but sometimes the litter can reach up to 10 puppies.

Puppies are born unable to open their eyes and usually weigh from 125 to 190 grams. Within about half a month after birth, they gradually open their eyes and will soon leave the nest for the first time.

Puppies are usually weaned at about 4 weeks of age and become sexually mature at one year of age. In artificial captivity, the lifespan of a bushy dog ​​usually lasts up to 10 years.

Because bush dogs often hunt in dense forests, where their vision is always blocked, members of the hunting party will keep in contact by whining. In addition, when eating large prey, parent dogs will prioritize eating the head and limbs with less meat, leaving the meatiest and softest belly for the puppy.

Compared to other dog breeds in the world, few people know about Serval dogs. Therefore, their conservation is still in its infancy and even faces some challenges. Due to the Serval dog's complex and scattered habitat, as well as its reclusive nature, Serval dog populations are rarely detected and difficult to identify. In 1839, in the cave where Serval dog bones were found, paleontologist Peter William Lund once believed that they were extinct.

Luckily, bush dogs are not extinct. Research shows they are able to adapt to diverse habitats and are active in tropical rainforests. There are currently about 15,000 bush dogs in the wild and they are listed as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because their numbers have decreased by about 25-12% over the past 20 years.

The main threats to wild Serval dogs include habitat loss and habitat fragmentation due to logging, livestock farming, and local palm oil cultivation.

Additionally, as human encroachment has forced them to share more habitat with domestic dogs, bushy dogs may be at risk of contracting diseases from domestic dog populations.

Although this animal has been protected by laws banning hunting in many places, some countries have limited resources and difficulty enforcing laws effectively, so they still cannot avoid poaching.