Culpeo

The culpeo is a South American species of wild dogs. It is the second largest South American canid after the Maned Wolf. In its appearance it resembles a fox. It has a grey fur, with a white chin and reddish legs. On the back there is a stripe, which may be barely visible.

The distribution extends from Ecuador and Peru to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. It is most common on the western slopes of the Andes, where it inhabits open country and deciduous forests.

The diet consists of rodents, rabbits, birds and lizards, and to a lesser extent of plants and carrion. Allegedly the culpeo is attacking sheep and therefore often hunted and poisoned. In some regions it became rare, but the species is not threatened with extinction.

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