After nearly 25 years of camera-trap surveys across Bolivia and Peru, researchers have produced the largest collection of confirmed short-eared dog records ever assembled
Credit: G. Ayala & M.E Viscarra
NEED TO KNOW
- Researchers studied the elusive short-eared dog for 25 years using camera traps in Bolivia and Peru
- The species, nicknamed the “ghost dog,” is more abundant than previously thought but remains highly secretive
- Experts stress protecting its habitat in Indigenous territories and protected areas to ensure its survival
A wild dog so elusive it has been nicknamed the "ghost dog" may be more common than scientists had feared, and researchers finally have the data to prove it.
A new study published in the journal Neotropical Biology and Conservation provides new insights into the short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis), one of the Amazon's most mysterious carnivores, according to Mongabay.
The findings are based on nearly 25 years of fieldwork in which researchers conducted 34 intensive camera-trap surveys across the lowland regions of Bolivia and Peru, resulting in 594 individual photographs.
Credit: Wallace et al., 2026
Dr. Robert Wallace from the Wildlife Conservation Society described the species as "perhaps the least known medium- to large-sized Neotropical mammal and potentially one of the scarcest canids," noting in the findings that even its geographical habitat distribution has long been unclear.
The images revealed the dog's distinctive physical features, including a dense, dark-colored coat ranging from blackish gray to reddish-brown, an enlarged head with very small rounded ears, short legs and a long, bushy tail, along with partially webbed paws not seen in other Amazonian canids.
"The most surprising aspect of the results was that despite being an almost mythical beast, short-eared dogs are much more abundant than we had imagined," the team said in a statement, though they still don't qualify as "common."
Based on the camera-trap data, researchers estimate a population density of roughly 15 dogs per 38.61 square miles, more abundant than larger carnivores like jaguars in the area, but less so than medium-sized ones like ocelots.
The ghost dog's long anonymity comes down to lifestyle, experts said. Its highly secretive nature, acute hearing and strong sense of smell have allowed it to successfully avoid the general human population.
In the Bolivian forests, the short-eared dog is most commonly found in protected areas or Indigenous territories. Researchers noted this characteristic highlights the critical importance of those designations for biodiversity conservation.
"While we now know that this elusive canid is secretly thriving in the deep forests of Bolivia and Peru," the team said, "its future relies entirely on our ability to protect its home."
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