Jun 9, 2026 09:17 PM
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1127831
INTRO: For decades, the short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis) has been considered one of the least-known carnivores in Latin America, and potentially one of the least-known canids in the world. Because of its highly secretive nature, acute hearing, and strong sense of smell, this cryptic creature has successfully avoided people, leaving biologists with very few direct sightings in the wild.
However, a new study published in the open-access journal Neotropical Biology and Conservation now offers insights into the life of this mysterious Amazonian predator.
According to the study's lead author Robert Wallace, the turning point in their understanding of the ghost dog came with the advent of remote sensing. When researchers first started capturing pictures of the species with camera traps back in 2001, they knew they were onto something special and envisioned a comprehensive publication.
Over the span of nearly 25 years, scientists systematized 500 distributional records across Bolivia and conducted 34 intensive camera-trap surveys. These surveys took place across the lowland regions of Bolivia and Peru, primarily in the Greater Madidi-Tambopata and Llanos de Moxos Biocultural Landscapes.
Accumulating 594 independent photographic events, this monumental effort represents the largest collection of confirmed short-eared dog records anywhere within the species' distribution. The lead author highlighted that this research is a "wonderful example of how conservation technology and remote sensing - in this case the intensive use of camera traps - can provide substantial data on one of the least known species of the Amazonian rainforests".
What exactly does this ghost dog look like? The camera traps revealed a unique physical profile... (MORE - no ads)
https://youtu.be/ILC5Wezp0hk
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/ILC5Wezp0hk
INTRO: For decades, the short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis) has been considered one of the least-known carnivores in Latin America, and potentially one of the least-known canids in the world. Because of its highly secretive nature, acute hearing, and strong sense of smell, this cryptic creature has successfully avoided people, leaving biologists with very few direct sightings in the wild.
However, a new study published in the open-access journal Neotropical Biology and Conservation now offers insights into the life of this mysterious Amazonian predator.
According to the study's lead author Robert Wallace, the turning point in their understanding of the ghost dog came with the advent of remote sensing. When researchers first started capturing pictures of the species with camera traps back in 2001, they knew they were onto something special and envisioned a comprehensive publication.
Over the span of nearly 25 years, scientists systematized 500 distributional records across Bolivia and conducted 34 intensive camera-trap surveys. These surveys took place across the lowland regions of Bolivia and Peru, primarily in the Greater Madidi-Tambopata and Llanos de Moxos Biocultural Landscapes.
Accumulating 594 independent photographic events, this monumental effort represents the largest collection of confirmed short-eared dog records anywhere within the species' distribution. The lead author highlighted that this research is a "wonderful example of how conservation technology and remote sensing - in this case the intensive use of camera traps - can provide substantial data on one of the least known species of the Amazonian rainforests".
What exactly does this ghost dog look like? The camera traps revealed a unique physical profile... (MORE - no ads)
https://youtu.be/ILC5Wezp0hk