Keywords
Mammal Vocalization
Camera Trap
Tropical Forest
Perú
How to Cite
Accepted 2026-03-07
Published 2026-08-11
Abstract
The short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis) is one of South America's rarest carnivores, with wild vocalizations never documented. We report the first wild vocalization of this Amazonian endemic, captured via camera trap in southeastern Peru on 8 May 2025. An adult male produced a distinctive bird-like howling sequence consisting of repetitive, high-pitched calls that escalated in both pitch and volume, followed by scent-marking behavior. We hypothesize this represents a long-distance communication call adapted for dense forest environments, where brief, high-pitched bursts may penetrate vegetation more effectively than sustained howls while avoiding detection by predators such as jaguars. All audio recordings have been deposited in an open-access repository to facilitate comparative studies to support development of bioacoustic monitoring protocols for this understudied species.
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