Mortality from collision with vehicles is the most visible impact of road traffic on wildlife. Mortality due to roads (hereafter road-kill) can affect the dynamic of populations of many species and can, therefore, increase the risk of local decline or extinction. This is especially true in Brazil, where plans for road network upgrading and expansion overlaps biodiversity hotspot areas, which are of high importance for global conservation. Researchers, conservationists and road planners face the challenge to define a national strategy for road mitigation and wildlife conservation. The main goal of this dataset is a compilation of geo-referenced road-kill data from published and unpublished road surveys. This is the first Data Paper in the BRAZIL series (see ATLANTIC, NEOTROPICAL, and BRAZIL collections of Data Papers published in Ecology), which aims make public road-kill data for species in the Brazilian Regions. The dataset encompasses road-kill records from 45 personal communications and 26 studies published in peer-reviewed journals, theses and reports. The road-kill dataset comprises 21,512 records, 83% of which are identified to the species level (n = 450 species). The dataset includes records of 31 amphibian species, 90 reptile species, 229 bird species, and 99 mammal species. One species is classified as Endangered, eight as Vulnerable and twelve as Near Threatened. The species with the highest number of records are: Didelphis albiventris (n = 1,549), Volatinia jacarina (n = 1,238), Cerdocyon thous (n = 1,135), Helicops infrataeniatus (n = 802), and Rhinella icterica (n = 692). Most of the records came from southern Brazil. However, observations of the road-kill incidence for non-Least Concern species are more spread across the country. This dataset can be used to identify which taxa seems to be vulnerable to traffic, analyze temporal and spatial patterns of road-kill at local, regional and national scales and also used to understand the effects of road-kill on population persistence. It may also contribute to studies that aims to understand the influence of landscape and environmental influences on road-kills, improve our knowledge on road-related strategies on biodiversity conservation and be used as complementary information on large-scale and macroecological studies. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set other than citation of this Data Paper.

Studies on resource utilization by carnivores are essential to assess the role of the species in the ecosystem. These studies help us to understand the mechanisms that influence vertebrate community structure and the relationships between predators and prey. The aims of this study were to compare and describe the food habits of the sympatric Pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus) and crab‐eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) in the Brazilian Pampa, and to evaluate the food niche overlap between them, and infer aspects of habitat preferences on the basis of their prey. For the diet analyses, 25 stomach contents of Pampas foxes and 33 of crab‐eating foxes were collected. We identified 80 prey items (49 for the Pampas fox and 63 for the crab‐eating fox) and grouped them into eight main categories. Mammals and invertebrates were the most frequent items in the diets of both canids, followed by fruits. The trophic niche breadth of the Pampas fox (Bsta = 0.56) was larger than that of the crab‐eating fox (Bsta = 0.47). The diet overlap between them was Ojk = 0.58. However, a PERMANOVA test showed that diets did not differ between species or season. Our results showed that both L. gymnocercus and C. thous had generalist diets, with a great diversity of prey, but based on similar main food items. Items that contributed the most to the diet of the Pampas fox were insects (Gryllotalpidae and Scarabaeidae) and cavies (Cavia aperea) and those that contributed the most to the diet of the crab‐eating fox were fruits of Syagrus romanzoffiana, beetles (Scarabaeidae), amphibians (Leptodactylus spp.) and cavies. This is the first study to describe and compare the food habits of these two species, occurring in sympatry in the Brazilian Pampa.

Background The lesser grison (Galictis cuja) is one of the least known carnivores in the Neotropical region. Its wide geographical occurrence and range of habitats could lead to morphological variations along its distribution. So, this study aimed to investigate the variation in skull shape and size of this species, by testing the existence of ecotypes adapted to their respective environments (Uruguayan savanna and Atlantic Forest), as well as its relationship with selected abiotic variables. Methods The skulls of 52 museum specimens were photographed in the ventral, dorsal, and lateral views, and were analyzed using geometric morphometric techniques. Results We found sexual size dimorphism, with males being larger than females. The shape variation between sexes, as well as between ecoregions, is mostly explained by the effect of allometry. The specimens from Uruguayan savanna are larger than the ones from the Atlantic Forest. Size variation was also significantly correlated to latitude, temperature and precipitation patterns. No correlation between skull shape with geographical distance was detected. Discussion Morphometric measurements and diet data of lesser grison in regions from higher latitudes than our sampling show a tendency to heavier individuals, and the consumption of bigger prey compared to Uruguayan savanna. The results indicated the smaller specimens associated to low variability in annual temperature, congruent to Atlantic Forest region. An explanation for observed variation may be related to the “resource rule” but, due the minimal natural history information regards this species, we can just speculate about this.

Information about resource partitioning among small cat species that live in sympatry in South America is fairly incomplete. Knowledge about feeding habits is essential for understanding the role of these predators in the environment, the impact on prey populations, and potential competition among themselves and with other carnivores. This study aimed to describe and compare the diet of four sympatric small cats in the grasslands of southern Brazil. We analysed the stomach contents of 37 Geoffroy’s cats (Leopardus geoffroyi), 27 margays (Leopardus wiedii), 14 pampas cats (Leopardus colocola), and 20 jaguarundis (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) obtained as road kill in the Brazilian Pampa in southern Brazil. Small mammals were the most representative class consumed by all cats, followed by Aves, Reptilia, and Amphibia. Some items, such as rodents Cavia aperea, Akodon sp., Oligoryzomys sp. and Passeriformes were consumed by all cat species. Niche overlap varied widely, from 10% (margay x jaguarundi) to 92% (jaguarundi x pampas cat). Niche breadth indicated that jaguarundi were the most specialized of the cats (Bsta = 0.24) in this region, with a diet closely associated to C. aperea. Margay consumed more items associated with arboreal behaviour than other cat species, but consumed more terrestrial items than arboreal ones. The pampas cat consumed mostly terrestrial species associated with open fields. Geoffroy’s cat consumed mammals found in a diversity of habitats, indicating high ecological flexibility. Species with more similarity in diet such as jaguarundi and pampas cat probably present temporal segregation in activity. In conclusion, despite their habitat and diet similarities, these four species explore distinct microhabitats by foraging different prey groups, what favor them to live in sympatry.

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