Strange dog with bear face, cat teeth, fox mouth

The bush dog, Serval dog, bush dog or mane dog is a species of the genus Serval in the family Canidae (dog family). They are more distantly related within the canid family but still have some similarities with foxes, wolves and dogs.

Bush dog is an animal that lives mainly in Central and South America with a unique appearance.

The Bushdog is a medium-sized dog, with adults measuring about 57 to 75 cm (22 to 30 in) in height, with a tail length of about 12.5 to 15 cm (5.2 to 6.6 in), a shoulder height of 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in) and a weight of about 5 to 8 kg (11 to 18 lb). This breed has a thick, short, smooth coat that is brown or reddish brown in color.

The Serval has relatively short legs, a short nose, and small, rounded ears relative to its body length. This makes them perfectly adapted to the tropical rainforest environment.

However, the Serval is a very good swimmer thanks to the incomplete webbing between its toes. They can swim quickly in rivers, lakes and swamps, even cross deep water, to hunt and survive. That is why the Serval is called by another name, "water dog".

Bushdogs are carnivores, their main prey includes woodpeckers, pythons, badgers and capybaras. They hunt during the day.

Bushdogs are typically social animals, often hunting cooperatively in small groups to hunt larger prey, including wild boar and medium-sized to large animals several times their own size!

Compared to normal dogs, bush dogs have 6 fewer molars to grind food, with a total of 38 teeth. This feature of theirs is closer to cats than omnivorous dogs.

Only high-status pairs in the group have the right to produce offspring, while low-status members have the responsibility of raising their young together.

The shaggy dog ​​can breed and mate year round, with litters ranging from 3 to 6 puppies, but sometimes litters can be as large as 10.

Pack members will communicate with each other when hunting by whining because they often hunt in dense forests where vision is blocked. In addition, when eating large prey, the parent dogs will prioritize eating the head and limbs with less meat, leaving the belly with the most meat and softest for the puppies.