# Bush dog (*Speothos venaticus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/bush-dog  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The bush dog (Speothos venaticus), also called the vinegar dog or savannah dog, is a mammal in the family Canidae, order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial and diurnal carnivore with an adult body mass of 6 kg, with reported values from 4 to 7 kg. Gestation lasts 68 days, litters average 4.1 young, and it has 2 litters per year, reaching sexual maturity at 342 days. The IUCN Red List classifies the bush dog as Near Threatened, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 4 kg – 7 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 10.3 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 14.1 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 60 days – 70 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4.13 |
| Age at maturity | 10.5 months – 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Canidae
- genus: Speothos
- species: *Speothos venaticus* (Lund, 1842)

Synonyms: *Cynogale venatica*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the bush dog?

The bush dog is a mammal in the family Canidae, within the order Carnivora and suborder Caniformia.

### How much does a bush dog weigh?

An adult bush dog weighs 6 kg, with reported values from 4 to 7 kg.

### What does the bush dog eat?

The bush dog is a carnivore.

### Is the bush dog endangered?

No. The bush dog is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

### How long does a bush dog live?

The bush dog has a lifespan of 10.3 years, with values up to 14.1 years reported.

### How many young does a bush dog have?

A bush dog litter averages 4.1 young, with 2 litters per year after a gestation of 68 days.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Bush dog (Speothos venaticus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/bush-dog