The Bush Dog (Speothos venaticus) is a small South American canine featured in the Americas Animal Pack DLC for Planet Zoo.
Zoopedia Description[]
General[]
Population In Wild: 110,000
The bush dog (or Speothos venaticus), also known as the vinegar dog, is a small species of canid found near the pools and rivers of orests, wetlands, savannahs, and pasture of South America. It as a squat, stocky build with short legs and tail, a rounded head and snout with small round ears. It has brown fur covering its ody, with tan fur on its head and black fur on its legs and tail. The bush dog measures 57cm to 75cm in length, 20cm to 30cm in height and weighs 5kg to 8kg.
The bush dog is Near Threatened. Agricultural land conversion has destroyed much of their habitat by creating large areas of arable land or monoculture woodlands. This habitat degradation and poaching has also reduced the availability of their prey species. Bush dogs are also sometimes killed by domestic dogs, which also spread disease that they have not previously been exposed to. It is thought that bush dog numbers have decreased by 20% to 25% in the past 12 years, but due to their elusiveness, they are hard for conservationists to track. Protection measures for bush dogs include hunting bans, though they are difficult to enforce, and environmental corridors to connect fragmented habitats and populations.
Social[]
The bush dog is very social and lives in family packs of up to 12 individuals. Bush dogs do everything together and are always found in pairs if not in their pack.
Reproduction[]
In bush dog packs, only dominant pair mates. The species breeds aseasonally, the female is fertile for 12 days in 15 to 44 days oestrus cycle. In this period the pair mates several times.
Fallowing a pregnancy for 60 to 83 days, she will give birth to a litter of 1 to 6 pups in a den, often located between the roots of a tree. The pups are born blind and deaf and remain in the den with their mother for the first 4 weeks of their lives. In this time they will exclusively feed on milk, while the dominant male and other pack mates bring food into the den for the female. At one month old, pups begin to leave the den for the first time, they are fed regurgitated food by there mother, and weaning begins. They begin eating solid food independently and accompany the adults on foraging trips at 8 weeks old
Bush dogs reach sexual maturity at one year old, but remain in the natal pack until 1.5 to 2 years old. At this point, they disperse into male and female bachelor groups, in which they stay as they move away from their natural home range and search for a mate. once they have found a mate, they establish a new pack in a new home range.
Animal Care[]
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PREFERRED OBJECTS | |
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Processed Meat · Mealworms · Eggs | |
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FEEDING STATIONS | |
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FOOD ENRICHMENT |
HABITAT ENRICHMENT |
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COMPATIBLE ANIMALS |
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Bush Dog doesn't benefit from sharing space with other species |
Trivia[]
Zoopedia Fun Facts[]
- Bush dogs are excellent swimmers. They have webbed feet, and packs chase their prey into water and then surround them.
- Bush dogs are more strictly carnivorous than other canids, occupying a similar niche to cats as hyper-carnivores.
- The bush dog is an elusive species and has only become more widely known in the past 30 years. Anecdotal evidence from native people and scatological evidence are the best sources of information on the animal's wild behavior and ecology.
- The bush dog is the smallest pack-hunting canid.
- The bush dog is also known as the vinegar dog because its unique scent has been likened to vinegar.
Gallery[]
