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Bush Dogs by Alex A
Basic Facts “And this is how I live ” said the bush dog . The bush dog hunts only in Savannahs and in semi – aquatic places. This means that it can go in and out of water. The bush dog is mature at one year of living with mommy . They prefer food that can only be found in Savannahs like small rodents. Its typical prey are the paca, rheas, and capybaras. It weighs up to 15 lb. It is between 57 and 75 inches long . These are some interesting facts about the bush dog.
Young Have you ever wondered what the word whelp means? Why, it’s a baby bush dog ! One of it’s other names is a pup. A bush dog litter size is 4 to 5 dark gray pups . They can have up to 2 litters in a year. That means 8 to 10 pups in one year! Bush dogs are in the classification of mammalian. That means mammal . A mammal means when it is young it drinks milk from it’s mom . Sometimes, at one year they begin to hunt for smaller animals like frogs and bugs on their own. These pups will one day grow up to be a fury, but cute, beast.
Nick names and Relitives The bush dog has many nicknames and relatives. In Brazil it is called “cachorro vinegre.” That means vinegar dog. Another name is cachorro do –mato, which is bush dog in Portuguese. In some Spanish speaking countries, it is called perro vinagre (vinegar dog ). Another interesting name is zorro vinagre (vinegar fox ), or perro de monte (bush dog ). There is one last name fore the bush dog and that is perro de agua (water dog). I guess that’s because it spends a lot of time swimming. Have you ever heard the word genus? Well, it means a species . The bush dog is the only animal in its genus, and its family is canidea. One of it’s closest relatives is the maned wolf. Do you have that many nicknames and relatives ?
Fun F acts Do you want to know something cool about bush dogs? The bush dog was a normal dog for the Indians! That means the Indians keep bush dogs as pets. Another cool fact is that their plan of attack to catch prey is to corner the animal in the deep water then swim and snatch it. Something sad is that bush dogs are at the risk of catching domestic dog disease.. Guess what? Unlike other dogs, bush dogs have webbed feet ! If it is lost , it will go into a hollow log and call it home . So if you are in Columbia and you find a hollow log, be carful to look out for the bush dog!
Safety In The Wild Bush dogs are in trouble and we need to save them. There are only 1500 singles left in the wild! Scientist are unsure of their population trends. One threat to them is habitat demolition. Another is human encroachment. If the bush dog population dies out, there won’t be any more of this creature left in the wild! We need to do something drastic to save them. Please help the bush dog by protecting the rainforest!