Let’s look – briefly – at South American wild dogs…
Caption: canid phylogeny from Lindblad Toh et al. (2005). Note that the South American canids belong together, the Maned wolf and Bush dog (remarkably) being sister-taxa.
Way back in 2013, I published an article in Grzimek’s* Animal Life Encyclopedia volume titled Extinct Life on extinction risk in South American mammals. Looking back at the initial invitation after the event, I now think that they wanted me to write about borhyaenoids, toxodonts, litopterns, astrapotheres and so on (various of which I’ve covered in articles at TetZoo) but what I ended up submitting was an article more to do with the conservation issues and extinction risks faced by extant South American species (Naish 2013**). I later opted (in 2014) to extract the part of that article devoted to South American canids and publish it at TetZoo (that article is here), and today I’ve decided to republish it here, this time with a few updates since new things have happened in the intervening years.
* Apparently pronounced something like ‘chee-mek’.
** Ask over email if you want a pdf of that article.
Caption: remind me why the Maned wolf is sometimes called the 'fox on stilts' again? Most available photos online (including this one) are of captive animals. Image: Jonathan Wilkins, CC BY-SA 3.0 (original here).
One of the South American region’s most distinctive canids, the Maned wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus, is threatened by many factors (Soler et al. 2005) and is already extinct in Uruguay. Its favored habitat has been reduced by the conversion of land for agriculture. Direct persecution by people, deaths following conflicts with domestic dogs (dogs deliberately pursue and kill Maned wolves, and pass diseases to them as well), and collisions with motor vehicles represent serious threats, and the use of its body parts in medicine and ritual also results in the killing of individuals. Conservation interest in this bizarre, omnivorous canid has resulted in legal protection in Brazil and Argentina, but specific action tailored to the ecology of the Maned wolf has yet to be implemented. Significant population declines are expected to occur because of continuing habitat loss and degradation.
The status of another highly distinctive South American canid, the short-limbed Bush dog Speothos venaticus, is difficult to determine because of its natural rarity and elusive, nomadic nature. There are indications, however, that habitat loss and fragmentation, reduction in prey, and domestic dog depredation have resulted in population declines (the IUCN estimates a 25% decline over the past 12 years), and the species is also known to be susceptible to diseases transmitted by domestic dogs. Bush dogs are social predators of savannahs and diverse wooded habitats and require healthy populations of small and mid-sized vertebrate prey. The persistence of both Maned wolves and Bush dogs depends on the protection of large, connected areas of grassland, woodland, and shrub-dominated lowland where domestic dogs and vehicle traffic are minimal or absent. The presence of bush dogs in disturbed areas (Oliveira 2009) suggests, however, that they are more adaptable in the face of habitat change than usually thought.
Caption: at left, a very interesting live photo of a Short-eared dog, showing it at an unfamiliar angle. At right, St. George Mivart’s painting of this species from 1890. Images: Igor de le Vingne, CC BY-SA 4.0 (original here); public domain.
The poorly known Short-eared dog Atelocyon microtis is a forest-dependent canid, endemic to western Amazonia. Sleek fur, a streamlined form, and reports of it swimming suggest a semiaquatic lifestyle and reliance on watercourses (Hunter & Barrett 2011). Like other wild canids worldwide, it is known to be at risk from diseases transferred from domestic dogs and also from habitat loss. A 2020 study (that includes contributions from an enormous crowd of authors) examined Short-eared dog distribution across the Amazon and how it might be affected by current and future deforestation. The news isn’t good, indicating that between 30 and 60% of the animal’s range is due to be lost or substantially damaged even during the 2020s (Rocha et al. 2020).
Several medium-sized, fox-like canids inhabit South America, including the Crab-eating fox Cerdocyon thous and the zorros (Lycalopex). Some, including the Hoary fox Pseudalopex vetulus, the Pampas fox P. gymnocercus, and the Crab-eating fox, seem tolerant of habitat degradation and remain widespread and common. The Pampas fox, however, is heavily persecuted because of its perceived predation on livestock.
Caption: at left, figures from Farias et al. (2014) in which they revealed camera-trap records confirming the presence of new Darwin’s fox populations in Chile. At right, one of my favourite Darwin’s fox photos (specifically, an animal from the Chiloé Island population). Such a handsome animal. Images: Farias et al. (2014); Fernando Bórquez Bórquez from Castro, Chile, CC BY-SA 2.0 (original here).
Darwin’s fox P. fulvipes is critically endangered, and until recently known only from two remnant, Chilean populations (one on Chiloé Island) estimated to include perhaps 600 individuals. Camera trap results published in 2014 (in addition to the finding of a dead animal and the collecting of eyewitness reports) have revealed the existence of additional populations in the Chilean Cordillera de Oncol and hence the indication that its distribution may not be as patchy and discontinuous as previously thought (D'elía et al. 2013, Farias et al. 2014). The assumption that Darwin’s fox is a subspecies of the Argentine grey fox or Chilla P. griseus has contributed to a lack of conservation or captive breeding efforts. The surviving Darwin’s fox populations are relicts, stranded on habitat islands surrounded by agricultural land and, on the mainland, severely at risk from domestic dogs. A 2016 IUCN report also noted that people persecute this animal because of the belief that it poses a risk to domestic birds, when in fact it has a negligible impact. This species, however, has increasingly been reported from secondary forests, suggesting that – like some of its relatives – it may be adaptable in the face of habitat change. Its long-term survival perhaps depends on reduced interaction with domestic dogs.
And that’s where we’ll end. Most previous TetZoo articles on canids and carnivorans in general are at versions 2 and 3 where they’ve been ruined by formatting issues or are even paywalled (way to go, SciAm). Here are a few relevant links…
The once mighty red panda empire, April 2008
The most inconvenient seal, June 2010
Hunter and Barrett's A Field Guide to the Carnivores of the World, March 2013
Another meeting with the Hayling Island Jungle cat, March 2013
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Refs - -
Hunter, L. & Barrett, P. 2011. Carnivores of the World. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.
Naish, D. 2013. South American native mammals. In McDade, M. (ed) Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia: Extinct Life. Gale Group (Farmington Mills, Michigan), pp. 567-576.
Oliveira, T. G. de 2009. Distribution, habitat utilization, and conservation of the vulnerable Bush dog Speothos venaticus in northern Brazil. Oryx 43, 247–253.
Soler, L., Carenton, J. M., Birochio, D., Salvatori, V., Orozco, M. M. & Rosso, M. S. 2005. Problems and recommendations for the conservation of the Maned wolf in Argentina. Endangered Species Update 22, 3-9.
