An extremely rare species of "bush dogs" that are living in Central and South America have been spotted recently by researchers where they have captured these elusive creatures on film in the remotest parts of Panama.

Like Us on Facebook

These canid species of bush dogs are rarely seen within their natural habitats in South America but a team from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute caught a glimpse of these creatures making this an exciting find that could help in future conservation efforts of this threatened species.

According to co-author of the study, Ricardo Moreno from the Smithsonian Research Associate, this new camera trap study involves big mammals from the Panama and Costa Rica border and Colombian border where biologists from Yaguará Panama and collaborators used camera trapping data. To date, the bush dog is one of the rarest species ever to be photographed by us, adds Moreno.

Also known as Speothos venaticus, bush dog have short legs, appearing quite stubby, measuring one foot tall. These creatures live in tropical forests and prefer to hunt in packs consisting of up to 10 members. Bush dogs create whiny, high pitch sounds while hunting in order to contact with members of the pack as they also create yapping sounds while chasing prey such as large rodents like agoutis and pacas. These dogs are also assumed to be active during the day but they are hardly seen in their habitats even in populated areas.

Using digital camera traps, the cameras take photos when they sense animal body heat via their infrared sensors. Camera traps are usually utilized for observing wildlife, since scientists are not capable of constantly monitoring their habitats or tracking the animals where their presence can also scare the animals away. 

In this new study, the camera traps captured photos of the bush dogs from different sites from Cerro Pirre in Panama near the Colombian border to Santa Fe National Park in Panama's western region. The species are so elusive that out of almost 32,000 camera days, there were only 11 instances that the bush dogs were chanced upon.  

Apart from Panama, the bush dogs were also seen in five other sites in western Panama, in Fortuna, suggesting that the creatures have expanded their habitats across the country. Moreno believes that the bush dogs will soon cross the border to Costa Rica.

Not much is known about the species' population distribution but according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), dog populations are declining by 25 percent in the past 12 years, classifying them as "near threatened". This is due to major deforestation and habitat loss, where 15 percent of the forests in Panama disappeared between 1990 and 2010, according to researchers. Scientists believe that this is a major concern as the species require large expanses of forest for survival. 

This new study is published in the journal Canid Biology & Conservation.