Differential patterns of home-range, net displacement and resting sites use of Conepatus chinga in southern Brazil

Abstract

a b s t r a c tStudies on the spatial ecology of Molina's hog-nosed skunk were conducted in southern Brazil. Between individuals were tagged with radio collars and monitored by radiotelemetry (VHF). The average home-range estimated for 12 skunks was 1.63 km 2 ± 1.17 km 2 . Males had home-ranges 2.5 times larger than females, and also showed significantly larger patterns of displacement. These differences in space probably were related not only to sexual size dimorphism, but also to differential behavior between sexes. We identified six basic types of resting sites, among which holes in the ground were the most common and comprised more than 50% of the total. Reuse of resting sites was high (32%), especially for females, which had a significantly higher rate than males. Although they showed a large proportion of home-range overlap even in the core areas, skunks exhibited a solitary life style, rarely sharing resting sites and maintaining relatively long distances from each other, equivalent to twice the distance of daily movements. The almost strictly nocturnal activity pattern observed in this study is a common characteristic of the family. Among practically all of the ecological features analyzed, males and females showed significant differences, denoting the importance of a sex-specific approach in ecological studies regarding this species.

Comparative osteology and functional morphology of the forelimb ofCyonasua(Mammalia, Procyonidae), the first South American carnivoran

“…Thus, the robust humerus of Cyonasua (relatively high HRI value) is related to the ability to resist relatively high bending and shearing stresses, which would be associated with supporting their body mass (body mass average for Cyonasua : 19.5 kg., greater than any extant procyonid; Tarquini et al, ), as could be suggested by the low but significant positive allometry of HRI. However, given that the HRI values of Cyonasua were close to those of Nasua , Nasuella, and Conepatus , genera in which body masses are small to moderate (4.5 kg on average for Nasua , Gompper, ; Gompper & Decker, ; 1.34 kg for Nasuella , Jones et al, ; 2 kg on average for Conepatus , Kasper et al, ), but all of which are specialized diggers among carnivorans, it is likely that this robustness is related to stresses caused by active use of the forearm in digging, rather than supporting body mass. In this sense, Cyonasua shows values of HRI that coincide with the median for the SU‐specialized‐digger category.…”

Trophic relationships of sympatric small carnivores in fragmented landscapes of southern Brazil: niche overlap and potential for competition

“…We found no evidence of consumption of eggs, but they probably represent an important energy source in some regions, such as the coastal regions of southern Brazil and Uruguay, where Gonçalves et al (2007) reported the predation of 98% of turtle nests, 31% of them by Conepatus chinga. In a study of the spatial ecology of C. chinga, Kasper et al (2012b) recorded several instances of skunks preying on turtle and bird nests to eat eggs, mainly in summer.…”

Home range and activity patterns of Conepatus semistriatus (Carnivora, Mephitidae) in Emas National Park, Brazil

“…There is little information available regarding the home ranges of other Mepbitid species in South American, aside from a few area estimates ranging from 1.95 to 0.55 km^ for C. chinga (Donadio et al, 2001;Reppucci et al, 2009;Kasper et al, 2012a) and 0.09 to 0.16 km^ for C. Humboldt (Fuller et al, 1987;Johnson et al, 1988), which are summarized in table 2. Different methods, different ecological requirements of each species, tbe relative abundance of Sunquist et al,, 1989 This study Kasperetal,, 2012bKasper et al, 2012bReppucci et al,, 2009Donadio et al,, 2001Fuller et al, 1987Fuller et al, 1987Fuller et al, 1987Johnson et al, 1988Johnson et al, 1988Johnson et al, 1988 Juvenile. resources and the degree of environmental disturbance where each population is located, may all have an influence on this variation.…”

“…In North America, other species of the skunk Family Mephitidae have received greater attention because some of them may be vectors for rabies (WadeSmith & Verts, 1982), and in some rare instances cause crop damage (Olson & Lewis, 1999), while other species have shown dramatic population declines (Gompper & Hackett, 2005). For species occurring in South America, data on activity patterns, home range and habitat use (Donadio et al, 2001;Kasper et al, 2009;Reppucci et al, 2009;Kasper et al, 2012b), diet (Travaini et al, 1998;Donadio et al, 2004;Montalvo et al, 2008), and abundance (Kasper et al, 2012a) have been collected for C. chinga. Also, Johnson et al (1988) discussed the influence of seasonal changes on the activity patterns of C. humboldti and assessed the home range area of this species in Chile.…”