THE BUSH DOG (SPEOTHOS-VENATICUS) IN VENEZUELA

The Bush Dog, Speothos venaticus, is a little known canid resident of Neotropical forests of South America, ranging north into Panama. The distribution and habits of this species in the wild are poorly documented. While captive information exists on behavior and reproduction, available field data are virtually nonexistent, due to the rarity of the species in its natural habitat. Herein we report two sightings representing new distributional records for Speothos in southern Venezuela, other unpublished records regarding its distribution throughout the country, and information from indigenous and colonist hunters which may confirm earlier reports of its existence in north-central Venezuela.