Deep in the Amazon rain forest live dogs so elusive that many scientists trying to protect them have never even seen them in person.
The short-eared dog is a different species than our pooch pals. While most canid [CAH-nid] species roam in packs over relatively open terrain, short-eared dogs are loners that live only in the thick foliage of the Amazon. Even folks who spend lots of time in the rain forest rarely see these secretive animals — thus their moniker “ghost dogs.”
The dogs’ reproductive habits and population statistics remain a mystery. However, by examining fleeting bits of camera trap footage, researchers have mapped the ghost dogs’ natural range — at least enough to show that much of it is under threat of deforestation.
And so the challenge continues — trying to protect one of the most secretive animals on the face of the earth.