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 Welcome to Selva Verde

A TRULY UNIQUE COSTA RICAN ECO-LODGE 

 

Mysterious wild dog sighting in unfamiliar territory

COSTA RICA NEWS

Talamanca region by Lauren Gonzalez SVL blogCamera trap photos reveal bush dogs in Costa Rica for first time

An article published in National Geographic reports on groundbreaking sighting of the bush dog.

Jan Schipper, a field conservation researcher with the Phoenix Zoo, was pleasantly astonished by the images captured from camera traps set up in Costa Rica’s Talamanca Mountains: the bush dog (Speothos venaticus). A short, stout carnivore, the bush dog, weighs in at about 10 pounds and is the size of a domestic house cat. What’s more, is that it’s the species is incredibly rare—until now the wild dog has not been definitively sighted north of Panama, at a high elevation of more than 4,900 ft.

The data recorded from the camera traps will aid scientists in learning more about this elusive canine. According to the National Geographic article, these cameras have been set up for 12 years and this is the first photograph they’ve gotten.


 To see the camera trap photo of the bush dogs, visit the National Geographic article here.


WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE BUSH DOG

While there is still so much to learn about this under-documented species, researchers have been able to gain a few insights into this private creature.

Bush dogs inhabit forests ranging from southern Brazil to Panama; which is why their arrival in the Talamanca Mountains is rather surprising. Although shy in regards to human interaction, the breed is rather social, and almost always seen in pairs. They also form packs and establish home ranges for their family to hunt, mate, reproduce and travel within. What’s interesting is that although their size is comparable to that of a house cat, the size of their home range matches that of a puma; one study revealed a family of bush dogs occupying a home territory of more than 30 square miles.  The wild dog is nocturnal, hunts at night and burrows underground during the day—another factor that accounts for why we know so little about them.

 

THE FUTURE OF THE BUSH DOG IN COSTA RICA

Archaeological evidence shows that bush dogs are not native to Costa Rica, but immigrated to the country recently. When exactly they arrived and how long they will stay, are both questions that still need answering, however. One predictor of their longevity in the country will be the canine’s access to prey. Because the Talamanca Mountains are surrounded by sugarcane and coffee plantations—their primary prey armadillos and small rodents may not stick around. This poses a potential future problem for the bush dog.

The good news is:  they’re here now; in a country that where a quarter of the land is protected, the bush dogs have found a home in Costa Rica. 


 photo by Lauren Gonzalez

Featured Story view all

GBD2022-1Costa Rican International Herpetological Symposium is back in its Fifth edition

After five years of obligatory absence, the Costa Rican International Herpetological Symposium is back in its Fifth edition.

Costa Rica is home to 5% of the planet's biodiversity. Though small in geographic area, Costa Rica has one of the highest densities of herpetofauna in the world with more than 440 species of reptiles and amphibians. The Symposium will feature presentations and workshops about conservation and herpetology by organizations and individuals. Come and learn about new findings and research from all over the Americas and beyond, or see how you can share your own work with conference participants and other interested people.

This is the 5th herpetological symposium at Selva Verde Lodge since they began in 2013.  Read more...

Get your Registration Form here...

 


Regresa el Simposio Internacional de Herpetología de Costa Rica en su Quinta edición...

Obtenga su Formulario de Registro acá...

 

FROM THE BLOG ( VIEW ALL )

SVLvelvetwormVelvet Worm Sighting in Selva Verde Lodge!

The night of September 9, 2022, during a night hike, our guide Randy Alvarado managed to spot in the primary forest of Selva Verde Lodge a species that is exceptionally hard to find in Costa Rica, a velvet worm (Onicóforo in Spanish). This is one of the oldest living beings in evolutionary terms, as it is known they exist since the Cambrian Period, more than 515 million years ago.

 

 

NEWS ( View All )

GBD2022-1Costa Rican International Herpetological Symposium is back in its Fifth edition

After five years of obligatory absence, the Costa Rican International Herpetological Symposium is back in its Fifth edition.

Costa Rica is home to 5% of the planet's biodiversity. Though small in geographic area, Costa Rica has one of the highest densities of herpetofauna in the world with more than 440 species of reptiles and amphibians. The Symposium will feature presentations and workshops about conservation and herpetology by organizations and individuals. Come and learn about new findings and research from all over the Americas and beyond, or see how you can share your own work with conference participants and other interested people.

This is the 5th herpetological symposium at Selva Verde Lodge since they began in 2013.  Read more...

Get your Registration Form here...

 


Regresa el Simposio Internacional de Herpetología de Costa Rica en su Quinta edición...

Obtenga su Formulario de Registro acá...

 

   OUR STORY

holbrooks 1982 ourstory idx

The Selva Verde Story

Selva Verde began with one woman's dream of preserving nearly 500 acres of endangered tropical forest and the multitude of species that call it home.

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