Until now, that is.
“They are rare and hard to see,” says veterinarian and ecologist Renata Leite Pitman.
Renata is a researcher at Duke University and National Geographic grantee and she has been studying these wild short-eared Amazon dogs for almost 18 years now, however she’s managed to capture and affix tracking collars to only five of the animals so far, according to National Geographic.
Watch video below:
“They are very timid, totally different from pets,” says Leite Pitman.
Their dark fur helps them blend in almost completely with the rain forest underbrush so they can avoid predators with ease. This is why catching one of these wild canines on tape has been so difficult and was a complete surprise this time around.
“The dog came by about 20 minutes after we left,” says Lary Reeves, a conservation biologist who set up a GoPro camera. “That was crazy.”
Before you go, check out: 10 Cute Dogs Who Just Can’t Handle This Heat.