Diet of racoon Procyon cancrivorus (Carnivora, Procyonidae) in a mangrove and restinga area in Espirito Santo state, Brazil

MARTINELLI, M.M.; VOLPI, T.A. 2010. Diet of racoon Procyon cancrivorus (Carnivora, Procyonidae) in a mangrove and restinga area in Espirito Santo state, Brazil. Natureza on-line 8(3):150-151. 

Abstract. Diet of Procyon cancrivorus was analised from fecal material. From 47 analyzed fecal samples, the most consumed items were Arthropods, found in 100% of scats, followed by Allagoptera arenaria (guriri-coconut), in 50.8% of scats, and small vertebrates and seeds, found in 4.3% of scats each. Among the arthropods, the most frequent crab family was the Ocypodidae, found in all samples.

Nota sobre convergência e divergência alimentar de canídeos e felídeos (Mammalia: Carnivora) simpátricos no Cerrado brasileiro

TROVATI, R.G.; CAMPOS, C.B.; BRITO, B.A. 2008. Nota sobre convergência e divergência alimentar de canídeos e felídeos (Mammalia: Carnivora) simpátricos no Cerrado brasileiro. Neotropical Biology and Conservation 3(2):95-100.

Abstract. Feed convergence and divergence of some sympatric canids and felids in Tocantins, Brazil were analyzed. Thirty-six fecal samples were collected. The results showed that 37.3% of the canids’ diet was made up of fruit and fibers (grasses e peel fruits) and 44% of the felids’ diet was made up of mammals. There were differences in the measurement and in the overlap of trophic niche, indicating canids as generalists and felids as specialists. Feeding of Phantera onca was more divergent and feeding of Puma yagouaroundi converged with the canids. Thus, the data collected shows that small felids have a similar diet to canids and only large and medium felids present divergence, but further studies are needed to better elucidate the degree of sympatric of these animals.

Medium and large-sized mammals of the Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçú, Cachoeira de Macacu, RJ

CARVALHO, I.D.; OLIVEIRA, R.; PIRES, A.S. 2014. Medium and large-sized mammals of the Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçú, Cachoeira de Macacu, RJ. Biota Neotropica 14(3):1-9.

Abstract: Medium and large-sized terrestrial mammals develop important functions in ecosystems maintenance. However, this group is the most vulnerable to local extinctions, through habitat loss or hunting. This study inventoried the community of medium and large mammals in the Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçú (REGUA), Cachoeiras de Macacu, RJ, providing data on species composition, richness and abundance. Species were registered through the use of camera traps, sign survey and visual encounters on pre-existing trails and roads. The study was conducted from January to October 2012, with each month considered as a sample unit. An effort of 1568 cameras-day and 120 km traveled, resulted on 302 records of 22 species of medium and large-sized mammals, belonging to eight orders. This value corresponds to more than three-quarters of the richness described from this group in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro state. Five species are under some level of regional, national or global threat. Three game species, Pecari tajacu, Cuniculus paca and Dasyprocta leporina were abundant in the area. The observed richness was comparable to that found in other studies conducted in rain forests. Thus, for its high number of species, including those under some degree of threat, we conclude that REGUA is an important area to mammal conservation, especially in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro state.

An opportunity for testing multiple paternity in a wild Jaguar (Panthera onca)

PINHO, G.M.; FONSECA, R.; FARIAS, I.P. 2014. An opportunity for testing multiple paternity in a wild Jaguar (Panthera onca). Biota Neotropica 14(3):1-5.

Abstract. We performed a paternity test for three cubs from one wild female jaguar (Panthera onca). The opportunity for this study was generated by an accident involving a vehicle collision with a pregnant jaguar in the central Amazon. The cubs are polyzygotic triplets and were found to have been sired by the same male. Here, we also provide an overview and discuss several aspects of jaguar reproduction.

Echinococcus vogelu Rausch and Bernstein, 1972, from the paca, Cuniculus paca L. (Rodentia: Dasyproctidae), in the Departamento de Santa Cruz, Bolivia

GARDNER, S.L.; RAUSCH, R.L.; CAMACHO, O.C.J. 1988. Echinococcus vogelu Rausch and Bernstein, 1972, from the paca, Cuniculus paca L. (Rodentia: Dasyproctidae), in the Departamento de Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Journal of Parasitology 74 (3):399-402. 

Abstract. Among approximately 2,000 mammals examined for helminths in various regions of Bolivia during 1983-1987, cysts of Echinococcus vogeli Rausch and Bernstein, 1972, were found in a single paca, Cuniculus paca L., collected at La Laguna, Departamento de Santa Cruz (lat. 16'36''W; long. 62'42''S). This record, the first from Bolivia, represents a considerable extension of the known geographic range of this species in South America. Upon analysis of the morphologic characteristics of the protoscoleces derived from the cysts, the sizes of rostellar hooks from the material from the paca were found to be well within the ranges reported in previous studies. Statistical analysis of frequency distributions of hook characteristics revealed some deviations from normality. These results indicate that parametric statistics should be applied with caution in analyses of interand intraspecific variation of morphologic characteristics of hooks of metacestodes of the genus Echinococcus.

Genomic ancestry of the American puma

CULVER, M.; JOHNSON, W.E.; PECON-SLATTERY, J.; O'BRIEN, S.J. 2000. Genomic ancestry of the American puma (Puma concolor). The Journal of Heredity 91(3):186-197.

Abstract. Puma concolor, a large American cat species, occupies the most extensive range of any New World terrestrial mammal, spanning 110 degrees of latitude from the Canadian Yukon to the Straits of Magellan. Until the recent Holocene, pumas co-existed with a diverse array of carnivores including the American lion (Panthera atrox), the North American cheetah (Myracynonyx trumani), and the saber toothed tiger (Smilodon fatalis). Genomic DNA specimens from 135 pumas of specified geographic origin (261 contemporany and 54 museum specimens) were collected for molecular genetic and phylogenetic analyses of three mitochrondrial gene sequences (16S rRNA, ATPase-8, and NADH-5) plus composite microsatellite genotypes (10 feline loci). Six phylogeographic groupings or subspecies were resolved, and the entire North American population (186 individuals from 15 previously named subspecies) was genetically homogeneous in overall variation relative to central and South American populations. The marked uniformity of mtDNA and a reduction in microsatellite allele size expansion indicates that North American pumas derive from a recent (late Pleistocene circa 10,000 years ago) replacement and recolonization by a small number of founders who themselves originated from a centrum of puma genetic diversity in eastern South America 200,000-300,000 years ago. The recolonization of North American pumas was coincident with a massive late Pleistocene extinction event that eliminated 80% of large vertebrates in North America and may have extirpated pumas from that continent as well.

Diet of margay, Leopardus wiedii, and jaguarundi, Puma yagouaroundi, (Carnivora: Felidae) in Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

BIANCHI, R.C.; ROSA, A.F.; GATTI, A.; MENDES, S.L. 2011. Diet of margay, Leopardus wiedii, and jaguarundi, Puma yagouaroundi, (Carnivora: Felidae) in Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil. Zoologia 28(1):127-132. doi: 10.1590/S1984-46702011000100018.

Abstract. This study identifies the food habits of the margay, Leopardus wiedii (Schinz, 1821), and the jaguarundi, Puma yagouaroundi (É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilare, 1803), in the Vale do Rio Doce Natural Reserve and in the Sooretama Biological Reserve, Espírito Santo, Brazil. We determined the diet of both species by the analysis of scats. Fecal samples were collected from April 1995 to September 2000 and identified based on the presence of hairs that were ingested during self-grooming. Scats were oven-dried and washed on a sieve, and the screened material was identified using a reference collection. Of the 59 fecal samples examined, 30 were confirmed to be from the margay and nine of them from the jaguarundi. Mammals were the most consumed items in the diet of the margay, occurring in 77% of the fecal samples, followed by birds (53%) and reptiles (20%). Among the mammals consumed, marsupials (Didelphimorphia) were the most common item (66%). In the diet of the jaguarundi, birds were the most consumed items and occurred in 55% of the fecal samples; mammals and reptiles occurred in 41% and in 17% of the fecal samples, respectively. From this work we conclude that the margay and jaguarundi fed mainly upon small vertebrates in the Vale do Rio Doce Natural Reserve and in the Sooretama Biological Reserve. Although sample sizes are therefore insufficient for quantitative comparisons, margays prey more frequently upon arboricolous mammals than jaguarundis, which in turn prey more frequently upon birds and reptiles than margays. This seems to reflect a larger pattern throughout their geographic range.

Composição e caracterização da fauna de mamíferos de médio e grande porte em uma pequena reserva de Cerrado em Mato Grosso, Brasil

ROCHA, E.C.; DALPONTE, J.C. 2006. Composição e caracterização da fauna de mamíferos de médio e grande porte em uma pequena reserva de Cerrado em Mato Grosso, Brasil. Revista Árvore 30(4):669-678.

Abstract. This study was carried out at the "Mario Viana" Municipal Biological Reserve in Nova Xavantina, MT, aiming to make an inventory and evaluate the abundance and diversity of terrestrial mammals of medium and large size. Thus, two monthly visits were made to a 2.820 m long transect throughout 2001 to acess tracking and other evidences of mammals. Twenty-nine species were recorded in the study area, with 22 in the transect and two individual tracking sequences being quantified for calculation of Shannon-Wiener (H') abundance and diversity indices. According to the abundance indices, the species were classified as rare, common and abundant. Among other species, onça-parda (Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771)) and tatu-canastra (Priodontes maximus (Keer, 1792) were classified as rare; jaguatirica (Leopardus pardalis (Linnaeus, 1758)) and tamanduá-bandeira (Myrmecophaga tridactyla Linnaeus, 1758) as common; and cutia (Dasyprocta azarae (Lichtenstein, 1823)) and tapetí (Sylvilagus brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758)) as abundant species. The H' index found was 2.40, which was considered significant. This work shows that despite being small (470 ha), the area studied plays an important role in the preservation of the mammalian fauna in the region of Nova Xavantina, MT.

An ecology-based method for defining priorities for large mammal conservation: the tiger as case study

WIKRAMANAYAKE, E.D.; DINERSTEIN, E.; ROBINSON, J.G.; KARANTH, U.; RABINOWITZ, A.; OLSON, D.; MATHEW, T.; HEADAO, P.; CONNER, M.; HEMLEY, G.; BOLZE, D. 1998. An ecology-based method for defining priorities for large mammal conservation: the tiger as case study. Conservation Biology 12(4):865-878.

Abstract. The disappearance of large vertebrates in the tropical belt may be the next biological insult of the global extinction crisis. Large predators and their prey are at particular risk in Asia, where they are threatened by poaching and habitat loss. To facilitate the best use of limited conservation recources, we created and objective, ecology-based method for identifying priority areas for conservation that incorporates both habitat representation and landscape-level features. Using tigers as an example, our method captures the range of ecological habitats where they occur, accounting for ecological, demographic, genetic, and behavioural differences. Our analysis is hierarchical. We divided the tiger range into distinct bioregions and identified tiger habitat types within each. we then delineated tiger conservation units throughout the bioregions and ranked the units based on habitat integrity, poaching pressure, and tiger population trends. To maintain representation of tiger populations and their ecology in the different tiger habitats, we made comparisons only among tiger conservation units from the same tiger habitat types nested within the same bioregion. We identified 159 tiger conservation units in three bioregions - the Indian subcontinent, Indochina, and Southeastern Asia. We ranked the units in three categories that reflect the probability of long-term persistence of tiger populations (highest in level I units). Twenty-five tiger conservation units were classified as level I, 21 as level II, and 97 as level III. An additional 16 tiger conservation units for which little information is available were identified for immediate surveys. Levels I, II and those identified for immediate surveys are the priority areas for immediate funding and for a regional tiger conservation strategy. One feature emerging from the study showed that protected areas cover only small areas of tiger conservation units; If the long-term prospects for tiger conservation are to improve, poaching must be stopped and protected areas increased in number, linked, and buffered by natural habitats. To enhance landscape integrity, the priority tiger conservation units that straddle international borders should be managed as transboundary reserves, giving tiger conservation a stronger regional structure. Like tigers, populations of other wide-ranging mammalian carnivores and large herbivores also are declining due to poaching and loss of habitat. The method we present for tigers can be adapted readly to improve conservation strategies for these species as well.

Revision of the systematic status of Patagonian and Pampean gray foxes (Canidae: Lycalopex griseus and L. gymnocercus) using 3D geometric morphometrics

PREVOSTI, F.J.; SEGURA, V.; CASSINI, G.; MARTIN, G.M. 2013. Revision of the systematic status of Patagonian and Pampean gray foxes (Canidae: Lycalopex griseus and L. gymnocercus) using 3D geometric morphometrics. Mastozoología Neotropical 20(2):289-300.

Abstract. Argentinean “zorros de campo” are currently included in two species: Lycalopex griseus and L. gymnocercus. Lycalopex gymnocercus lives in northern Patagonia and in most of central and northern Argentina. Lycalopex griseus is smaller and lives in Patagonia and throughout western Argentina. A previous traditional morphometric study using cranio-dental measurements considered both forms to be the same species, showing clinal reduction in size from northeastern to southwestern Argentina. Here we tested the synonymy of these foxes and the existence of clinal variation using a large sample and geometric morphometric methods. Our results rejected the separation of these foxes in two different species and confirmed, based on cranium and mandible size and shape that they belong to the same species. Also, we show there is a clinal variation in size that has an allometric component in cranial and mandibular shape, which accounts for the differences between these foxes.

Evaluation of GPS collar performance by stationary tests and fitting on free-ranging Japanese black bears

YAMAZAKI, K.; KASAI, S.; KOIKE, S.; GOTO, Y.; KOZAKAI, C.; FURUBAYASHI, K. 2008. Evaluation of GPS collar performance by stationary tests and fitting on free-ranging Japanese black bears. Mammal Study 33:131-142.

Abstract. We evaluated the performance of two GPS collars as a tool for studying Japanese black bears (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) in the Kanto region, Japan. Collars were placed at five stationary points to test the effects of GPS antenna orientation and degree of canopy closure on the fix rate and the positional error, and collars were deployed on 16 free-ranging bears to examine the fix rate and the effects of fix interval on fix rate. In the stationary tests, the proportions of no fix and of 2D fix (vs. 3D fix) increased as canopy closure increased and antenna orientation was further from vertical; at an antenna angle =90° from the vertical and canopy closure of 76.2–79.1%, the fix rate was <50%. The positional error for 3D fixes (ranged from 6.84 to 16.43 m) was significantly lower than that for 2D fixes (ranged from 30.74 to 43.45 m), and the positional error for both was affected by canopy closure and GPS antenna angle. An expected multipath effect on positional errors by rain was not statistically significant. Mean fix rates on collared bears ranged from 23.6% to 56.4% and were significantly lower than those in the stationary test. The fix rates at 5-min intervals were significantly higher than those at 4-hr intervals. Although our tests revealed some limitations and biases, GPS collar appears suitable for studying the movement and behavior of the bears.

Ecomorphology of orbit orientation and the adaptative significance of binocular vision in primates and other mammals

HEESY, C.P. 2008. Ecomorphology of orbit orientation and the adaptative significance of binocular vision in primates and other mammals. Brain, Behaviou and Evolution 71:54-67. doi: 10.1159/000108621

Abstract. Primates are characterized by forward-facing, or convergent, orbits and associated binocular field overlap. Hypotheses explaining the adaptive significance of these traits often relate to ecological factors, such as arboreality, nocturnal visual predation, or saltatory locomotion in a complex nocturnal, arboreal environment. This study re-examines the ecological factors that are associated with high orbit convergence in mammals. Orbit orientation data were collected for 321 extant taxa from sixteen ordens of metatherian (marsupial) and eutherian mammals. These taxa were coded for activity pattern, degree of faunivory, and substrate preference. Results demonstrate that nocturnal and cathemeral mammals have significantly more convergent orbits than diurnal taxa, both within and across ordens. Faunivorous eutherians (noth nocturnal and diurnal) have higher mean orbit convergence that opportunistically foraging or non-faunivorous taxa. However, substrate preference is not associated with higher orbit convergence and, by extension, greater binocular visual field overlap. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that mammalian predators evolved higher orbit convergence, binocular vision, and stereopsis to counter camouflage in prey inhabiting a nocturnal environment. Strepsirhine primates have a range of orbit convergence values similar to nocturnal or cathemeral prodatory non-primates mammals. These data are entirely consistent with the nocturnal visual predation hypothesis of primate origins.

The burrows of Dasypus hybridus Cingulata: Dasypodidae)

GONZÁLEZ, E.M.; SOUTULLO, A.; ALTUNA, C.A. 2001. The burrows of Dasypus hybridus Cingulata: Dasypodidae). Acta Theriologica 46(1):53-59.

Abstract. Dasypus hybridus (Desmarest, 1804) inhabits open fields in southern South America. Burrows of D. hybridus were cylindrical with a conical end. They had an entrance and a single tunnel without branches. Three locations of the burrows in the terrain were detected: in banks of dried waterways, near rocks, and in open field. The orientation of 29 burrow mouths was not random and, although they did not point to any cardinal point, in particular there was a strong tendency to avoid the south quadrant. In a sample area of 90 x 140 m, burrow mouths were arranged in a random spatial pattern with a density of 25.4 burrows por ha. Great variation in burrow length was found (118.8 +/- 105.69 cm, CV = 89.0%). Tunnels may be used as refuges and/or for thermo-regulation. The orientation of burrow mouths can also be related to thermoregulation as tunnels are covered from dominant winds, and, for many hours every day, the temperature at the mouths can be influenced by insolation. The possible existence of shelter-burrows and resting-burrows is discussed.

Riqueza de mamíferos de grande e médio porte do Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor (Acre, Brasil)

CALOURO, A.M. 1999. Riqueza de mamíferos de grande e médio porte do Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor (Acre, Brasil). Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 16(2):195-213.

Abstract. The richness of the large and medium-sized mammals of the Serra do Divisor National Park (Acre, Brazil). The objective of the present study was to characterize the richness (number of species) of large and medium-sized mammals, and the antropic threats in the Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor (PNSD). In 31 days data were collected through direct observations or evidences (bones, hairs, vocalizations and tracks) along pre-existing trails distributed in different types of vegetation. Wild mammals captured by local people were also considered. They were found 44 species of terrestrial mammals (with the exception of small mammals and bats) and two species of cetaceans, representing 73% of the total predicted, according to the literature and information of local dwellers were registered in PNSD. They exist in the are two species classified by IUCN (1996) as "Endangered" [Cacajao calvus rubicundus (I. Geoffroy, 1806) and Priodontes maximus (Kerr, 1792)] and five as "Vulnerable" [Ateles chamek (Humboldt, 1812), Callimico goeldii (Thomas, 1904), Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii (Humboldt, 1812), Myrmecophaga tridactyla Linnaeus, 1758 and Inia geoffrensis (Blainville, 1817)]. Given that subsistence and commercial hunting are common in the PNSD, mammals more affected by hunting [Ateles chamek (Humboldt, 1812), Lagothrix lagotricha (Humboldt, 1812), Tayassu pecari (Link, 1795)] were observed only in the more remote areas such as Serra do Divisor, Rio Moa. In comparison with others areas, the results indicate that PNSD has high richness of the mammals, with special attention to the 14 primates species registered.

Variatión geográfica del zorro Lycalopex culpaeus (Mammalia, Canidae) en Chile: implicaciones taxonómicas

GUZMÁN, J.A.; D'ELÍA, G.; ORTIZ, J.C. 2009. Variatión geográfica del zorro Lycalopex culpaeus (Mammalia, Canidae) en Chile: implicaciones taxonómicas. Revista de Biología Tropical 57(1-2):421-432.

Abstract. Geographic variation of the fox Lycalopex culpaeus (Mammalia, Canidae) in Chile: taxonomic implications. We studied the geographic variation of skulls of Lycalopex culpaeus using qualitative and quantative analyses. The sampling area covered Chile, from its northern portion, to Tierra del Fuego and the neighbouring Hoste Island, as well as part of Argentina. Five subespecies are currently recognized from this large area. We found two morphotypes that are segregated geographically. Both groups mostly differ by morphometric attributes, followed by qualitative features. Specimens from northern Chile (Tarapacá and Antofagasta) have small skulls, short rostrum, a liriform sagital zone, and lack the interparietal crest. The second group is formed by specimens from north-western and central Argentina, central-south Chile, Patagonia, and the austral islands of Tierra del Fuego and Hoste. This group presents a strong sagital crest, large rostrum, and a large skull. Our results agree with observed patterns of mitochondrial DNA variation. We propose to retain the name L. c. andinus for the populations of northern Chile and to synonymize L. c. magellanicus, L. c. lycoides, and L. c. smithersi under L. c. culpaeus.

Effects of fragmentation of the Atlantic forest on mammal communities in south-eastern Brazil

CHIARELLO, A.G. 1999. Effects of fragmentation of the Atlantic forest on mammal communities in south-eastern Brazil. Biological Conservation 89:71-82.

Abstract. Six Atlantic forest reserves, two large (c. 20,000 ha each), two medium-sized (c. 2,000 ha each) and two small (c. 200 ha each), located in northern Espírito Santo, south-eastern Brazil were censured for mammals from October 1994 to April 1996. Diurnal and nocturnal line-transect sampling was used for censusing mammals > 1 kg body weight, and the relative abundance of species in the six fragments was compared. The number of mammal species recorded in the reserves was strongly related to the forest area, the richest community being recorded in the two large reserves and the poorest in the two small reserves. The large reserves had a structurally more complex community, with top predators, large, terrestrial frugivores and large myrmecophages. The mammal community of the small and the medium-sized reserves was impoverished and less complex. Frugivores were numerically predominant in both large and medium-sized reserves, whereas herbivores dominated the mammal community of the small reserves, mainly through the absence of agoutis Dasyprocta leporina and the high density of maned sloth Bradypus torquatus in the two small reserves. The lack of predators and the proliferation of secondary vegetation and lianas throughout the small reserves are probably the main causes for the success of arboreal folivores there. Illegal hunting was found to reduce the encounter rates of mostly large, terrestrial frugivores such as agoutis, pacas Agouti paca, peccaries Pecari tajacu and Tayassu pecari and deer Mazama spp., and is contributing to keep the population of the surviving species low.

Variabilidade genética en géneros de ciervos neotropicales (Mammalia: Cervidae) según loci microsatelitales

RUIZ-GARCÍA, M.; MARTINEZ-AGÜERO, M.; ÁLVAREZ, D.; GOODMAN, S. 2009. Variabilidade genética en géneros de ciervos neotropicales (Mammalia: Cervidae) según loci microsatelitales. Revista de Biología Tropical 57(3):879-904.

Abstract. Genetic variability in Neotropical deer genera (Mammalia: Cervidae) according to DNA
microsatellite loci. Species conservation programs are highly based on analyses of population genetics. We compared eight Neotropical Cervidae (Mazama americana, M. gouzaoubira, M. rufina, Odocoileus virginianus, Hippocamelus antisensis, Pudu mephistopholes, Ozotoceros bezoarticus and Blastoceros dichotomus) and some European and Asian Cervidae (Cervus elaphus, C. nippon, Capreolus capreolus, C. pygargus and Dama dama). The European species C. elaphus was our standard for a high degree of genetic variability: we used a Scottish population originated in the mix of diverse Western European subspecies. On the contrary, Cervus nippon (a population from Scotland with a founder effect) was our standard for a depauperated population. The M. americana, M. gouzaoubira and O. virginianus samples had high diversity values close to our C. elaphus population (H= 0.64, 0.70 and 0.61, respectively), while M. rufina was very low, close to C. nippon. Several sample sets of Mazama and Odocoileus yielded a homozygote excess, probably due to the Wahlund (subdivison) effect. There was no evidence of recent bottleneck events.

An analysis and review of models of the sociobiology of the Mustelidae

JOHNSON, D.D.P.; MACDONALD, D.W.; DICKMAN, A.J. 2000. An analysis and review of models of the sociobiology of the Mustelidae. Mammal Review 30(3-4):171-196.

Abstract. Classical models of social organization in mustelids suggest that female ranging patterns are determined by the dispersion of resources, whereas those of males are determined by the dispersion of females. However, mating systems and social spacing patterns vary widely both between and withing species. For example, European Badgers exhibit a continuum from the classical mustelid model of intra-sexual territoriality and inter-sexual overlap to very large, mixed-sex, promiscuous groups. We evaluated hypotheses and existing data to explain this variation, using comparative analyses and Principal Components Analysis of life history and ecological variables. In addition, we applied a null model of allometric scaling to test for associations between group mass and residual home range size. We found that: (1) the degree of social behaviour and breeding group size increased with life history variables indicative of K-selected strategies of parental investment. (2) Absolute home range size and residual home range size (derived from allometric home range scalling) decreased, paradoxically, with breeding group size and group mass, respectively. These results provide support for ecological theories of social grouping in general and, in particular, for the importance of dispersed resource-rich patches as developed in the Resource Dispersion Hypothesis.

Efficiency of box-traps and leg-hold traps with several bait types for capturing small carnivores (Mammalia) in a disturbed area of Southeastern Brazil

MICHALSKI, F.; CRAWSHAW JR., P.G.; OLIVEIRA, T.G.; FABIÁN, M.E. 2007. Efficiency of box-traps and leg-hold traps with several bait types for capturing small carnivores (Mammalia) in a disturbed area of Southeastern Brazil. Revista de Biología Tropical 55(1):315-320.

Abstract. Capturing small carnivores is often necessary for obtaining key ecological data. We compared the efficiency of box and leg-hold traps, using live and dead bait, to capture six carnivore species (Herpailurus yagouaroundi (É. Geoffroyi, 1803), Leopardus tigrinus (Schreber, 1775), Nasua nasua (Linnaeus, 1766), Cerdocyon thous (Linnaeus, 1766), Eira barbara (Linnaeus, 1758), and Galictis cuja (Molina, 1782)). The use of leg-hold traps significantly increased the capture rate of carnivores (5.77%) and non-target species (non-carnivores, 11.54%). Dead bait significantly attracted more non-carnivores than carnivores and live bait was more efficient for capturing carnivores (2.56%) than non-carnivores (0.77%). Both box and leg-hold traps caused some minor injuries (swelling and claw loss). We provide recommendations for the ethical use of these trap and bait types.

Trend of the Yellowstone grizzly bear population

EBERHARDT, L.L.; BREIWICK, J.M. 2010. Trend of the Yellowstone grizzly bear population. International Journal of Ecology, v. 2010, Article ID 924197, 5 pages. doi: 10.1155/2010/924197.

Abstract. Yellowstone’s grizzlies (Ursus arctos) have been studied for more than 40 years. Radiotelemetry has been used to obtain estimates of the rate of increase of the population, with results reported by Schwartz et al. (2006). Counts of females with cubs-of-the-year “unduplicated” also provide an index of abundance and are the primary subject of this report. An exponential model was fitted to n = 24 such counts, using nonlinear leastsquares. Estimates of the rate of increase, r, were about 0.053. 95% confidence intervals, were obtained by several different methods, and all had lower limits substantially above zero, indicating that the population has been increasing steadily, in contrast to the results of Schwartz et al. (2006), which could not exclude a decreasing population. The grizzly data have been repeatedly mis-used in current literature for reasons explained here.