Camera Traps Log 594 Short-Eared Dog Events, Showing Species Thrives in Upland Forests
Updated
Updated · Sci.News · Jun 11
Camera Traps Log 594 Short-Eared Dog Events, Showing Species Thrives in Upland Forests
1 articles · Updated · Sci.News · Jun 11
Summary
4,635 camera-trap photos from Bolivia and Peru captured 594 independent short-eared dog events, indicating the elusive Amazonian canid is more abundant than scientists had thought.
34 surveys conducted between 2001 and 2024 found the species in 21 surveys and 11 of 23 sites, with estimated density near 15 individuals per 100 square kilometers.
The records point to intact terra firme forests away from rivers as the species' preferred habitat, helping explain why the largely diurnal animal has remained so rarely seen by people.
Protected areas and overlapping Indigenous territories showed higher relative abundance than unprotected land, underscoring that conserving continuous Amazon forest canopy is central to the species' future.