The bush dog Speothos venaticus and short-eared dog Atelocynus microtis in a fragmented landscape in southern Amazonia

Abstract

The bush dog Speothos venaticus and the short-eared dog Atelocynus microtis are categorized as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. I document the occurrence of these two little known canids in a fragmented landscape in southern Amazonia (around Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso state, Brazil) using interviews and two extensive camera-trapping surveys. From a total of 144 interviews conducted during 2001–2002 in forest fragments and continuous forest sites, bush and short-eared dogs were confirmed in only eight (5.6%) and 14 (9.7%) forest sites, respectively. Two camera-trapping surveys, conducted in 2003–2004 and 2007–2008, with a total of 6,721 camera-trap days, recorded two photographs of bush dogs and seven of short-eared dogs, in three continuous forest sites. On the basis of the large sampling effort it appears that these two elusive species occur at low densities in the study region. The continued presence of these species in an agricultural frontier with high deforestation rates makes this information of relevance for long-term conservation initiatives in this region and in other Neotropical agricultural frontiers.

Full text

Short Communication
The bush dog Speothos venaticus and short-eared
dog Atelocynus microtis in a fragmented landscape
in southern Amazonia
Fernanda Michalski
Abstract The bush dog Speothos venaticus and the short-
eared dog Atelocynus microtis are categorized as Near
Threatened on the IUCN Red List. I document the
occurrence of these two little known canids in a fragmented
landscape in southern Amazonia (around Alta Floresta,
Mato Grosso state, Brazil) using interviews and two
extensive camera-trapping surveys. From a total of 144
interviews conducted during 2001–2002 in forest frag-
ments and continuous forest sites, bush and short-eared
dogs were confirmed in only eight (5.6%) and 14 (9.7%)
forest sites, respectively. Two camera-trapping surveys,
conducted in 2003–2004 and 2007–2008, with a total of
6,721 camera-trap days, recorded two photographs of bush
dogs and seven of short-eared dogs, in three continuous
forest sites. On the basis of the large sampling effort it
appears that these two elusive species occur at low densities
in the study region. The continued presence of these
species in an agricultural frontier with high deforestation
rates makes this information of relevance for long-term
conservation initiatives in this region and in other Neo-
tropical agricultural frontiers.
Keywords Amazon, Atelocynus microtis, Brazil, bush dog,
distribution, Mato Grosso, short-eared dog, Speothos
venaticus
The bush dog Speothos venaticus and the short-eared
dog Atelocynus microtis are categorized as Near
Threatened on the IUCN Red List (IUCN, 2009), in
particular because of habitat loss. Data on the distribution
and ecology of the bush dog are scarce (Eisenberg, 1989;
Redford & Eisenberg, 1992; Silveira et al., 1998; Michalski &
Peres, 2005; DeMatteo & Loiselle, 2008; Oliveira, 2009) and
mostly based on opportunistic sightings (Peres, 1991; Strahl
et al., 1992; Silveira et al., 1998; Barnett et al., 2001). Even less
data are available on the distribution and status of the
short-eared dog (Peres, 1991; Eisenberg & Redford, 1999;
Koester et al., 2008; Leite & Williams, 2008).
The southern Brazilian Amazon has been subjected to
large-scale deforestation (INPE, 2008) that has produced
a fragmented landscape comprising forest remnants of
varying size, shape and connectivity (Michalski et al.,
2008). These forest fragments are experiencing multiple
disturbance regimes (Michalski & Peres, 2005). Here,
I document the occurrence of bush and short-eared dogs
in the Alta Floresta region, northern Mato Grosso state, in
the southern Brazilian Amazon, based on interview data
and camera trapping.
During June–September 2001 and May–July 2002 I
obtained data on occupancy of carnivores using interviews
with local landowners in 129 forest fragments and 15 sites in
continuous forest in a 4,648-km
2
area (see Michalski &
Peres, 2005, for details; Fig. 1). I then conducted two camera
trap surveys in a 2,850 km
2
area of the same region. In the
first survey (June 2003–December 2004, total trap days 5
3,086) CamTrakker phototraps (Camtrakker, Watkinsville,
USA) were distributed across three habitat types on a hexa-
gonal grid (c. 500 m apart): forest fragments ,1,000 ha
(n 518,1,599 trap days), forest fragments .1,000 ha (n 53,
916 trap days) and continuous forest (n 52,571 trap days).
In the second survey (October 2007–December 2008, total
trap days 53,635) Tigrinus phototraps (Tigrinus, Santa
Catarina, Brazil) were used in four habitat types: continu-
ous forest (n 54,1,028 trap days), forest fragments .1,000
ha (n 520,1,102 trap days), riparian corridors (n 512,660
trap days) and pasture (n 512,845 trap days). The distri-
bution of camera traps in the latter three habitats followed
perennial streams (c. 500 m apart). In both surveys cameras
were placed 30–40 cm above ground, deployed for 30 days,
and checked every 3–4days to renew the scent lure
(Hawbaker’s Wild Cat Lure 2; Minnesota Trapline Prod-
ucts, Pennock, USA), batteries and film as necessary.
Consecutive photos of the same species were defined as
independent occurrences if individuals could be unambig-
uously distinguished or if the interval between photographs
was .30 minutes.
In the interviews bush and short-eared dogs were re-
ported less frequently than all other carnivores (Michalski &
Peres, 2005). Bush dogs were reported in only two forest
fragments and six continuous forest sites, and short-eared
dogs in only four forest fragments and 10 continuous forest
sites (Michalski & Peres, 2005).
F
ERNANDA
M
ICHALSKI
Department of Ecology, Bioscience Institute, Univer-
sity of Sa
˜o Paulo, Rua do Mata
˜o 321, Travessa 14, Sa
˜o Paulo, SP 05508-900,
Brazil, and Instituto Pro
´-Carnı
´voros, C.P. 10, Atibaia, SP 12940-970, Brazil.
E-mail fmichalski@procarnivoros.org.br
Received 22 April 2009. Revision requested 11 June 2009.
Accepted 31 July 2009.
ª2010 Fauna & Flora International,
Oryx
, 44(2), 300–303 doi:10.1017/S0030605309990871

I obtained 1,167 independent photographs in 3,086 trap
days during 2003–2004 and 1,845 independent photographs
in 3,635 trap days during 2007–2008. From this total
I recorded bush dogs in two photographs and short-eared
dogs in seven photographs, in the 2007–2008 survey only
(Table 1). These photographs were obtained in three
continuous forest sites. The two photographs of bush dogs
were from abandoned logging access tracks (5and 8years
after selective logging), six photographs of the short-eared
dogs were obtained along perennial rivers within continu-
ous forest sites, and one photograph was obtained in
a continuous terra firme forest. All photographs detected
single individuals apart from one of bush dog that recorded
two adults and one juvenile (K.E. DeMatteo, pers. comm.).
Photographs of short-eared dogs were confirmed by carni-
vore experts with .10 years of experience working with
these canids (M.R.P. Leite-Pitman, pers. comm.; T.G. de
Oliveira, pers. comm.). Landowners of two of the three
continuous forest sites where these canids were photo-
graphed reported the presence of the two species in 2001–
2002. Based on the number of independent photographs
obtained and the sampling effort in all habitat types, one
photograph required 3,361 trap days for the bush dog and 960
trap days for the short-eared dog. Considering only camera-
trapping in forest fragments .1,000 ha and continuous
forest sites, these numbers decrease to 1,065 and 304 trap days
per photograph for bush and short-eared dogs, respectively.
Despite its broad distribution and occurrence in a variety
of habitats (Silveira et al., 1998; DeMatteo & Loiselle, 2008;
Oliveira, 2009) the bush dog seems to be naturally rare
throughout its range. Previous data based on tracks
recorded the minimum home range for a group to be c.
1,600 ha, with a density estimate of c. 0.04 km
-2
(Beisiegel
& Ades, 2004; Zuercher et al., 2008). The record of only two
photographs of bush dogs (three individuals in one and one
individual in another) in an area of 2,850 km
2
gives an
estimate of 0.001 km
-2
for the study area. Although the
interview data reported the occurrence of bush dogs in 1.6%
of the fragments and 40% of the continuous forests surveyed,
I never recorded this species by camera traps in pasture, in
riparian forests or in forest fragments ,1,000 ha. This
contrasts with the finding that 20% of historical bush dog
locations were associated with fragmented or altered habitat
(DeMatteo & Loiselle, 2008).
Records of short-eared dog show a discontinuous dis-
tribution across its range (Emmons & Feer, 1997) and the
species is characterized as rare and uncommon (Leite &
Williams, 2008). Recent studies (M.R.P. Leite-Pitman,
unpubl. data) followed five individuals of this species in
Cocha Cashu, Manu National Park, Peru, and estimated
density to be 0.5km
-2
(Leite & Williams, 2008). Although
recorded in seven independent photographs in Alta Flor-
esta, all were obtained in a single continuous forest area.
This may confirm the discontinuous distribution described
by Emmons & Feer (1997). This species was more fre-
quently reported in forest fragments (3.1%) and continuous
forests (66.7%) in interviews, which may suggest that a
greater effort is required to record the presence of short-
eared dogs in the study area. Another camera-trapping
study recorded this species only twice in 905 trap days in
220,000 ha in Rondo
ˆnia state, Brazil (Koester et al., 2008).
With intensive sampling across several years and sea-
sons, my results highlight the low density of bush and
short-eared dogs in a fragmented region in southern
FIG. 1 The study area in Alta Floresta,
northern Mato Grosso state, Brazil (see
inset for location), showing the 144 forest
patches and continuous forest sites where
interviews with landowners were
conducted (solid circles) and the location
of the two camera trap surveys in
2003–2004 (open circles) and 2007–2008
(open rectangles). Grey and white areas
represent forest and non-forest cover,
respectively.
Bush and short-eared dogs in Amazonia 301
ª2010 Fauna & Flora International,
Oryx
, 44(2), 300–303

Amazonia. This is also supported by the interview data,
which demonstrated ,40% probability of occurrence for
both species in forest areas ,10,000 ha (Michalski & Peres,
2005). Although camera-trapping can produce unpredictable
results for rare species, the fact that I surveyed a variety of
habitat types and recorded bush and short-eared dogs in
only 1.6and 3.1%, respectively, of forest fragments (through
interviews) and did not record either species at camera traps
in sites other than continuous forest indicates that these
species may avoid disturbed areas or at least use such areas
less frequently compared to undisturbed areas. An evalua-
tion of the distribution of bush dogs in northern Brazil also
reported that the majority of records of this species are from
undisturbed lowland terra firme forest (Oliveira, 2009). My
data provide information about these two elusive canids in
southern Amazonia and this information is of particular
importance for long-term conservation initiatives in this
region and in other Neotropical agricultural frontiers.
Acknowledgements
I acknowledge the Fundaça
˜o de Amparo a
`Pesquisa do
Estado de Sa
˜o Paulo (post-doc scholarship 2007/01252-2)
and the Brazilian Ministry of Education (PhD studentship
1123/01-7). This study was funded by the Wildlife Conser-
vation Society, Conservation, Food and Health Foundation,
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and the Cleveland Zoological
Society, Natural Environment Research Council, WWF-
Brazil (USAID grant NT 746/2003) and the John Ball
Zoological Society. I thank the National Centre of Research
and Conservation of Carnivores (CENAP/ICMBio) for
logistical support during field activities in 2007–2008. I
am indebted to all landowners around Alta Floresta and
especially to Geraldo C. Arau
´jo and Alex G. Arau
´jo. I thank
two anonymous referees whose comments improved an
earlier version of this article.
References
BARNETT, A., SHAPLEY,R.&ENGSTROM,M.(2001) Records of the
bush dog, Speothos venaticus (Lund, 1842), from Guyana.
Mammalia,65,232–237.
BEISIEGEL, B.D.M. & ADES,C.(2004) The bush dog Speothos
venaticus (Lund, 1842) at Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, south-
eastern Brazil. Mammalia,68,65–68.
DEMATTEO, K.E. & LOISELLE, B.A. (2008) New data on the status
and distribution of the bush dog (Speothos venaticus): evaluating
its quality of protection and directing research efforts. Biological
Conservation,141,2494–2505.
EISENBERG, J.F. (1989)Mammals of the Neotropics. The Northern
Neotropics: Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname,
French Guiana. Vol. 1. University of Chicago Press, Chicago,
USA.
EISENBERG,J.&REDFORD, K.H. (1999)Mammals of the Neotropics.
The Central Neotropics: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil. Vol. 3.
University of Chicago Press, Chicago, USA.
EMMONS, L.H. & FEER,F.(1997)Neotropical Rainforest Mammals:
A Field Guide.2nd edition. The University of Chicago Press,
Chicago, USA.
INPE (INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE PESQUISAS ESPACIAIS)(2008)Levanta-
mento das areas deflorestadas da Amazo
ˆnia Legal no perı
´odo
1988–2008: resultados. Ministe
´rio da Cie
ˆncia e Tecnologia,
Sa
˜o Jose
´dos Campos, Brazil. Http://www.obt.inpe.br/prodes/
[accessed 5April 2009].
IUCN (2009)IUCN Red List of Threatened Species v. 2009.1. Http://
www.iucnredlist.org [accessed 28 July 2009].
KOESTER, A.D., DE AZEVEDO, C.R., V OGLIOTTI,A.&DUARTE,
J.M.B. (2008) Ocorre
ˆncia de Atelocynus microtis (Sclater, 1882)na
Floresta Nacional do Jamari, estado de Rondo
ˆnia. Biota Neo-
tropica,8,231–234.
LEITE, M.R.P. & WILLIAMS, R.S.R. (2008)Atelocynus microtis.In
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species v. 2009.1. Http://www.
iucnredlist.org [accessed 28 July 2009].
MICHALSKI,F.&PERES, C.A. (2005) Anthropogenic determinants of
primate and carnivore local extinctions in a fragmented forest
landscape of southern Amazonia. Biological Conservation,124,
383–396.
MICHALSKI, F., PERE S, C.A. & LAKE, I.R. (2008) Deforestation
dynamics in a fragmented region of southern Amazonia: evalu-
ation and future scenarios. Environmental Conservation,35,
93–103.
OLIVEIRA, T.G. DE (2009) Distribution, habitat utilization and
conservation of the Vulnerable bush dog Speothos venaticus in
northern Brazil. Oryx,43,247–253.
PERES, C.A. (1991) Observations on hunting by small-eared
(Atelocynus microtis) and bush dogs (Speothos venaticus)in
central-western Amazonia. Mammalia,5,635–639.
REDFORD, K.H. & E ISENBERG, J.F. (1992)Mammals of the Neo-
tropics. The Southern Cone: Chile, Argentina, Paraguay. Vol. 2.
University of Chicago Press, Chicago, USA.
TABLE 1Summary of photographs obtained during camera-trapping in 2003–2004 and 2007–2008 for bush dog Speothos venaticus and
short-eared dog Atelocynus microtis in the Alta Floresta region, northern Mato Grosso, Brazil (Fig. 1).
No. of photos
(day, night)
1
No. of consecutive
photos (interval in
minutes)
2
No. of camera
stations (mean km
apart, SD)
3
No. of sites with
confirmed occurrence
S. venaticus 2 (2, 0) 0 2 (48.6) 2
A. microtis 8 (7, 1) 1 (3) 3 (1.1, 0.53) 1
1
Daytime photographs were considered those between 05.00 and 18.00
2
Obtained in the same day at the same camera-trap station within a 30-minute interval
3
Number and distance between camera-trap stations
F. Michalski302
ª2010 Fauna & Flora International,
Oryx
, 44(2), 300–303

SILVEIRA, L.A., JACOMO, A.T.A., RODRIGUES, F.H.G. &
DINIZ-FILHO, J.A.F. (1998) Bush dogs (Speothos venaticus)
in Emas National Park, central Brazil. Mammalia,62,446–449.
STRAHL, S.D., SILVA, J.L. & G OLDSTEIN, I.R. (1992) The bush dog
(Speothos venaticus) in Venezuela. Mammalia,56,9–13.
ZUERCHER, G.L., S WARNER, M., S ILVEIRA,L.&CARRILLO,O.
(2008)Speothos venaticus. In IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
v. 2009.1. Http://www.iucnredlist.org [accessed 28 July 2009].
Biographical sketch
FERNANDA MICHALSKI has a particular interest in conservation biology
and the ecological consequences of habitat fragmentation. For the past
8years she has been developing and coordinating research projects in the
Brazilian Amazon, exploring faunal and floral responses to anthropogenic
perturbations. She is now studying the responses of mammals to different
patterns of deforestation in a fragmented landscape.
Bush and short-eared dogs in Amazonia 303
ª2010 Fauna & Flora International,
Oryx
, 44(2), 300–303