Cameras Capture Pictures of Mysterious Bush Dog

Scientists say they have captured photographs of one of the most mysterious known
animals: bush dogs.

Bush dogs live in Central and South America. They are a rarely seen and

threatened  . But the photos suggest they may be more common than
scientists thought.

Scientists used cameras that take photos in the forest when an animal passes by. Photos

of the bush dogs were taken in wild areas of  . The traps can be found across
the country from its Costa Rican border to its border with Colombia.

Ricardo Moreno is a research associate for the Smithsonian Institution. He and a team of
biologists from Yaguará, Panama are studying large, wild mammals in that country. He

says, "The bush dog is one of the   species that we photograph."

The researchers describe the animals as "short-legged and stubby, standing only about a

foot (30cm) tall at the  ."

Like other dogs, bush dogs hunt in packs of up to  . They are known to
communicate to each other using "high-pitched whines." They eat mostly large forest
rodents.

The bush dog is so elusive that photos of the animal were made only 11 times

over   camera days. That is the number of cameras multiplied by the days in
operation.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature says bush dog populations have

dropped by up to   percent over the past 12 years. It is considered a "near-

threatened" species.

Humans do not hunt or directly threaten bush dogs. But, habitat loss is affecting

their  . They live mainly in rainforests. Scientists think the animals may

require large forest spaces to survive. It is estimated that Panama lost   

percent of its rainforest from 1990 to 2010.

I'm Kathleen Struck.