The Bush dog (Speothos venaticus, Lund, 1842) is the smallest Brazilian canid. The species lives in groups of two to twelve individuals and is considered the most social of the neotropical canids (Burton et al., 1988). Individuals are capable of swimming and diving while foraging and usually can be found near streams. For resting, bush dogs look for shelter in armadillo burrows and hollow tree trunks.