New Mammal Species Found in Costa Rica

A new species of mammal was found in Costa Rica, the discovery of the “bush dog” in Costa Rican territory (Carnivora: Canidae) was confirmed by the Neotropical Biology and Conservation website.

The species was first spotted through camera-traps located in the protected zone of Las Tablas in Coto Brus, Puntarenas in May of 2016, however, it was not until September that it was confirmed following the respective investigation.

Up until now, it was believed that this species was only found from Argentina to western Panama, however, its presence in Costa Rica changed this extension and the characteristics of the areas where they are found, since prior to this registry, the highest zone where they’d been spotted was of 600 meters above sea level, but in Costa Rica it was located at 1,700 meters above sea level.

“Bush dog, Speothos venaticus (Lund, 1842), is a rare Neotropical canid occurring from Eastern Mesoamerica, south to Argentina and Paraguay (DeMatteo et al., 2011). Despite its considerable large distribution, it is considered one of the rarest and least known canids in the continent (DeMatteo and Loiselle, 2008). Most of basic ecological and biological aspects of S. venaticus remain unknown, and most of the knowledge is still derived from occasional and sporadic observations”,explains the publication in the Neotropical Biology and Conservation website.

The record of this species in the country increases the number of confirmed carnivores in the country to 25.

“Given the extensive deforestation of the Talamanca range, especially on the Pacific slopes where our records were obtained, and that most of the habitat in the range is located above 1,500 m, (González-Maya et al., 2014; González-Maya et al., 2012; González-Maya et al., 2015), there is likely not many areas within Costa Rica where the bush dogs could occur. Hunting and deforestation can still be significant threats to the species, unless direct actions related with hunting control and connectivity are taken in the area. More focused and species-specific research seems warranted to further estimate the extent of occurrence of the species across this shared ecoregion. Conservation actions should be directed mostly considering the rareness and potential vulnerability of the bush dog in both countries”, concludes the publication.