Strange dog with bear face, cat teeth, fox mouth

Bush dog, Serval dog, bush dog or maned dog is a species of the genus Serval in the family Canidae (dog family). They are more distantly related in the canine family but still have some things in common with foxes, wolves and dogs.

Bush dog is an animal that lives mainly in Central and South America with a unique appearance.

Bushy dogs are of average size, adults are about 57 to 75 cm, tail length is about 12.5 to 15cm, shoulder height is from 20 to 30cm and weight is about 5 to 8kg. This dog breed has thick, short, smooth fur that is brown or reddish brown in color.

Serval dogs have relatively short legs, a short nose, and round and small ears compared to their body length. This helps them adapt perfectly to the tropical rainforest environment.

However, bushy dogs have very good swimming skills thanks to incomplete webbing between their toes. They can swim quickly in rivers, lakes and swamps, even crossing deep water, to hunt and survive. That's why the Serval dog is called by another name, 'water dog'.

Bush dogs are carnivores, their main prey include woodpeckers, pythons, badgers and capybaras. They hunt during the day.

Bushy dogs are standard social animals, often hunting cooperatively in small groups for larger prey, including wild boar and other medium to large animals several times their size. their size!

Compared to normal dogs, bushy dogs have 6 fewer molars to grind food with a total of 38 teeth. This characteristic of them is more similar to cats than omnivorous dogs.

Only pairs of high-status individuals in the group have the right to reproduce, while low-status members will have the responsibility to raise the young together.

Bushy dogs can breed and mate year-round, each litter will give birth to 3 to 6 puppies, but sometimes litters can reach up to 10 puppies.

When hunting, members of the herd will keep in contact with each other by moaning because they often hunt in dense forests, where visibility is blocked. In addition, when eating large prey, parent dogs will prioritize eating the head and limbs with less meat, the belly has the most meat and is the softest for the puppies.

Marvin Fry

Update 15 May 2024