All printables
Bush Dog — printable fact sheet
Free to print or save as PDF. Great for classrooms, homeschooling, and young explorers.
Creature Atlas
Animal Fact Sheet
Name: ____________________
Date: ____________________
Bush Dog
Speothos venaticus
The bush dog looks like a mistake: a squat, short-legged, bear-faced animal with tiny ears and a stubby tail, which barely reads as a canid at all. It is nevertheless one of the most social dogs in the world, hunting in cooperative packs of up to a dozen through dense South Amer…
Did you know?
- Despite being widespread across South America, Bush Dogs are so elusive that they were first described from fossil remains before living individuals were observed.
- Male bush dogs urinate in a handstand, walking their hind legs up a tree trunk to place a scent mark as high as possible — an unusual posture for a canid, and a way for a very short animal to advertise as a tall one. The species was described in 1842 from fossil remains and was believed extinct before anyone realised it was still alive. It is one of the few canids that hunts prey much larger than itself, and packs have been recorded killing capybara.
What I learned
Draw the bush dog
© Creature Atlas · www.creatureatlas.com · Free for classroom & personal use
Want the whole set?
Get printable fact-sheet packs, coloring pages, and classroom worksheet bundles for dozens of animals — ready to download and print.
Browse printable packsGet a free printable each week
Join the newsletter for a new Creature of the Week + printables.