‘Almost Mythical’ Amazonian Ghost Dog Captured on Trail Camera

A canid so rare that it’s nicknamed “ghost dog” has been captured on trail cameras organized by researchers deep in the Amazonian rainforest.

Officially known as the short-eared dog, it is one of the least-known carnivores in Latin America, and arguably the least-known dog in the entire world. This is because of its highly secretive nature, acute hearing, and strong sense of smell. This cryptic creature has successfully avoided people, leaving biologists with very few direct sightings in the wild.

Step forward trail cameras. Researchers deployed the remote devices in the lowlands of Bolivia and Peru in a bid to learn more about the Amazonian ghost dog.

The new study has been published in the open-access journal Neotropical Biology and Conservation. It took place over 25 years, but the study’s lead author, Robert Wallace, says the turning point in their understanding of the ghost dog came with the advent of remote sensing.

Accumulating 594 independent photographic events, this monumental effort represents the largest collection of confirmed short-eared dog records anywhere within the species’ distribution. Via a press release, Wallace says that this research is a “wonderful example of how conservation technology and remote sensing — in this case the intensive use of camera traps — can provide substantial data on one of the least known species of the Amazonian rainforests.”

Photos of the ghost dog reveal that it has a dark, dense coat that ranges from blackish gray to reddish-brown. It has a large head with very small and rounded ears, short legs, and a long, bushy tail. Intriguingly, the species even boasts partially webbed paws, a trait that is completely unique among Amazonian canids.

“The most surprising aspect of the results was that, despite being an almost mythical beast, short-eared dogs are much more abundant than we had imagined,” the researchers note.

While they are still rare, the camera trap findings suggest a density of 15 individuals per 100 square kilometers (39 square miles). Researchers determined that the short-eared dogs are more common than larger carnivores like jaguars, though less common than medium-sized carnivores like ocelots.

The study also highlighted that ghost dogs are primarily diurnal, meaning they are most active during the day, with their activity peaking between 6:00 A.M. and 12:00 P.M.

Image credits: G. AYALA & M.E. VISCARRA.