Bush dog: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the bush dog lives – recorded in 10 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Speothos venaticus
Group	Foxes, jackals & wild dogs
Status	Near threatened (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	10 countries
Continents	South America
Mass	5.5 kg (adult weight)
Class	Mammal
Order	Carnivora
Family	Canidae

Where does the bush dog live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the bush dog in 10 countries and territories across South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil, French Guiana, Peru, Venezuela, Suriname, Paraguay, Guyana, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Panama.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

How big is a bush dog?

Wikidata records the following for the bush dog: mass 5.5 kg (adult weight).

Is the bush dog endangered?

The bush dog’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Near threatened” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the bush dog?

The bush dog (Speothos venaticus) is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Canidae, genus Speothos. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the bush dog

The bush dog (Speothos venaticus) is a canine found in Central and South America. In spite of its extensive range, it is very rare in most areas except in Suriname, Guyana and Peru; it was first described by Peter Wilhelm Lund from fossils in Brazilian caves and was believed to be extinct.

The bush dog is the only extant species in the genus Speothos, and genetic evidence suggests that its closest living relative is the maned wolf of central South America or the African wild dog. The species is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

In Brazil, it is called cachorro-vinagre ('vinegar dog') and cachorro-do-mato ('bush dog'). In Spanish-speaking countries, it is called perro vinagre ('vinegar dog'), zorro vinagre ('vinegar fox'), perro de agua ('water dog'), and perro de monte ('shrub or woodland dog').

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Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Bush dog (revision 1380263895), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q191737 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).