# Short-eared dog (*Atelocynus microtis*)

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

The short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis) is a living mammal in the family Canidae, within the order Carnivora and suborder Caniformia. It is a medium-sized animal with a representative adult body mass of 7.75 kg, and our sources report adults up to 9.5 kg. The short-eared dog is a nocturnal, terrestrial carnivore. The IUCN Red List classes it as Near Threatened in its global assessment, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 7.75 kg – 9.5 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 11 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 11.9 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Canidae
- genus: Atelocynus
- species: *Atelocynus microtis* (Sclater, 1883)

Synonyms: *Atelocynus microtis microtis*, *Atelocynus microtis sclateri*, *Canis macrotis*, *Canis microtis*, *Dusicyon microtis*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the short-eared dog?

The short-eared dog is a mammal in the family Canidae, part of the order Carnivora and suborder Caniformia.

### How heavy is the short-eared dog?

The short-eared dog has a representative adult body mass of 7.75 kg, and our sources report adults up to 9.5 kg.

### What does the short-eared dog eat?

The short-eared dog is a carnivore.

### Is the short-eared dog endangered?

No, it is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the short-eared dog live?

The short-eared dog has a lifespan of 11 years, and the highest value reported by our sources is 11.9 years.

### Is the short-eared dog nocturnal?

Yes, the short-eared dog is nocturnal and lives on the ground as a terrestrial animal.

## 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: Short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/short-eared-dog