Click here to see the video.
Bush dogs (Speothos venaticus) are the smallest of the pack-hunting canids.
They live in South America at pretty low densities. They are widespread on that continent, but they are not that common anywhere
Yes, I know they look like the cross between an otter and a fox.
And they are famous for doing handstands to mark their territory.
But beyond that, they also have been kept as semi-domesticated animals by several indigenous groups. They have never reached the level of the domesticated culpeo, but they have been kept as pets.
It’s not something I recommend, but it is worth considering when we talk about dog domestication.
It is likely that any number of wild dog species have been kept as pets, but only one (C. lupus) has managed to be so successful.
The vast range of C. lupus may have played some role in it, and the fact that C. lupus is a large carnivore that can both hunt the same prey that people were hunting and protect against intruders, including other large predators that might prey upon humans.
However, we have to consider these potential domestications in order to understand how man and C. lupus became attached to each other in this way.
interesting!
i can’t help but see terrier in this canid’s features.
i often look at the different types of c. lupus that I’ve lived with, how different they were but how very similar they could be. it makes me ponder domestication and it sometimes makes me very upset. especially in the case of the apbt mix, his awful skin condition… what we’ve done to ensure total dependence in domesticated dogs.
that will only get me on a tangent about closed registry breeding practices… so i’ll stop.
but – the canid in its natural form, like the bush dog, that still sees an advantage for allowing itself to become a pet in some instances – that speaks volumes to me about the versatility and soundness of the canids as a whole. they are far more intelligent than man.
Remember, it’s dependence, but it’s co-dependence.
Is it just me… but, does this Canid resemble a short squat version of a hyena?
Of course it does. It is brave little animal, a real pack animal like many canids are, tho’ it can also hunt alone as well. In pack their hunt giant rodents that are much bigger than themselves – then they must look furious!
Perhaps I’m confused. If the creature is not of the genus Canis, why call it a canid?
Canid refers to the whole dog family
The family name for all dogs is Canidae.
Technically, the South American wild dogs are very closely related to Canis, Cuon, and Lycaon– more so than they are to the vulpine foxes and their allies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canidae