We report home range estimates of an individual Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii) recorded from May 7, 2011 to September 2015 at the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in Southern Mexico. The tapir was captured and equipped with a VHF collar in a pond within the reserve. The signal failed to transmit in the following month but with the help of a network of camera traps deployed in nearby water bodies we monitored this individual during four years and a half. We have estimated home range by the Minimum convex polygon method and also by constructing a buffer around camera traps locations where this animal was photo-captured. With few available records (<30) but spanned over four years the Minimum convex polygon estimate for all locations resulted in 23.9 km 2 . When we constructed a buffer around camera trap locations we estimated a home range of 39.9 km 2 with a core area of 4.1 km 2 . Maximum distance dispersed from this tapir was 10.5 km from its original location. The home range estimates reported here are larger than previously reported for this species. This is the first report on the home range, travel capacity, and distances for the Baird's tapir in the Calakmul Region.Reportamos estimaciones del tamaño del ámbito hogareño de un individuo de tapir de Baird (Tapirus bairdii) en la Reserva de la Biósfera de Calakmul desde el 7 de mayo del 2011 hasta septiembre del 2015. El tapir fue capturado en una "aguada" dentro de la reserva y se le puso un collar de radiotelemetría VHF que funcionó solo unas semanas. Con ayuda de una red de cámaras trampas instaladas en cuerpos de agua hemos monitoreado movimientos de éste individuo por cuatro años y medio. Estimamos el ámbito hogareño a través del método del Polígono mínimo convexo y construyendo una área buffer alrededor de los sitios donde ha sido foto-capturado. Con los pocos registros obtenidos (< 30), pero que se extienden durante cuatro años y medio y utilizando el Polígono mínimo convexo y considerando todos los registros desde que este individuo fue capturado, estimamos un ámbito hogareño de 23.9 km 2 . Cuando construimos un buffer alrededor de dichos puntos estimamos un ámbito hogareño de 39.9 km 2 con un área núcleo de 4.1 km 2 . La distancia máxima de dispersión fue de 10.5 km desde su ubicación original. Los ámbitos hogareños estimados en esta investigación son más grandes que los reportados para esta especie en otros estudios. Este es el primer reporte de ámbitos hogareños, capacidad de movimientos y distancias de desplazamiento para el tapir de Baird en México.

Body condition score (BCS) systems have been used in wild animals as a technique for evaluating the health status of species that are difficult to capture but can be observed in their habitat. In this study, our goal was to enable scoring the BC of wild Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii) without the need for direct observation, using camera trap and opportunistic photographic records. First, we modified a BCS assessment that was created for other tapir species, using captive Baird's tapirs. Second, we applied it to a set of photographs of wild Baird's tapir that were obtained over six consecutive years in a protected area in southern Mexico. We compared morphometric measurements and muscle and fat deposited in several anatomical regions. We also evaluated changes in BC between seasons for individuals photographed on several occasions. We show that neck and thorax circumferences are significantly correlated with all BCSs associated with these anatomical regions, whereas abdominal circumference is correlated only with half of the BCS. BCS of captive tapirs that we evaluated averaged 24.93 AE 5.61, which was higher than that of wild tapirs (22.63 AE 3.68). No significant difference in BC was apparent between rainy and dry seasons in our study site; wild tapirs were able to maintain good BC throughout the year. Camera trap records and opportunistic photographs were a useful tool to track changes in BC over time.

Sentinel species such as crocodilians are used to monitor the health of ecosystems. However, few studies have documented the presence of zoonotic diseases in wild populations of these reptiles. Herein we analyzed 48 serum samples from Crocodylus acutus (n = 34) and C. moreletii (n = 14) from different sites in the state of Quintana Roo (Mexico) to detect antibodies to Leptospira interrogans by means of a microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Crocodylus acutus and C. moreletii tested positive to 11 and 9 serovars, respectively, with Grippotyphosa being the serovar with the highest prevalence in Cozumel island (100%), Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve (70.6%), and Río Hondo (100%), while in Chichankanab Lake, it was Bratislava (75%). Titers ranged from 1:50 to 1:3200, and the most frequent was 1:50 in all study sites. Leptospira is present in fresh and saltwater individuals due to the resistance of the bacterium in both environments. Cases of infected people involved with crocodile handling and egg collection suggest that these reptiles could play an important role in the transmission of leptospirosis. Preventive medicine programs should consider the monitoring of reptiles, and testing the soil and water, to prevent outbreaks of leptospirosis in facilities containing crocodiles.

Invertebrate-derived ingested DNA (iDNA) is quickly proving to be a valuable, non-invasive tool for monitoring vertebrate species of conservation concern. Using the DNA barcoding locus, we successfully identified both the blood-feeding leech Haementeria acuecueyetzin and its blood meal-the latter is shown to be derived from the Caribbean manatee, Trichechus manatus . DNA amplification was successful despite the fact that the specimen was fixed in Mezcal (a beverage distilled from agave). We report the first confirmed case of a leech feeding on a manatee, the first record of H. acuecueyetzin for the State of Chiapas and, to our knowledge, the first case of successful DNA amplification of a biological sample fixed in Mezcal other than the caterpillar "worms" more commonly found in that beverage.

To date, records of predation on Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii) by jaguars (Panthera onca) were anecdotal and did not allow for differentiation regarding whether the animal had been preyed upon or scavenged. Here, we present the first documented event of predation on a Baird’s tapir by a jaguar in the Calakmul region, Campeche, Mexico. In August 2017, we observed a jaguar eating a juvenile female Baird’s tapir; when we analysed the skull, we observed the characteristic “lethal bite” with which jaguars kill their prey by piercing the temporal and parietal bones with their canine teeth. Jaguars select to attack tapirs when they are most vulnerable (young or sick). Records of these type of events are important for understanding the food webs and ecology of these iconic Neotropical species that inhabit the Mesoamerican forests.