Large- and Medium-Sized Mammal Survey Using Camera Traps in the Sikre River in the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, Honduras

Abstract

Large mammals are elusive, often nocturnal, and therefore difficult to study. In many parks, reserves, agriculture lands, and other human-dominated landscapes, mammalian abundance is unknown despite their importance to ecosystems. The Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve of eastern Honduras has been the site of much research, but many rivers within the reserve have not been surveyed for mammalian diversity. In this study we used camera traps to survey an area of 70 km 2 along the Sikre River for mammals in both broad-leaf forest and pine savanna. 2,040 trap-nights yielded 116 captures in total. Fourteen mammal, three bird, and one reptile species were photographed in the broad-leaf forest, while none of the four camera stations in the pine savanna captured animals on film. The tapir (Tapirus bairdii) was the most frequently captured species. We also captured four photographs of at least two individuals of the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), a species considered the most threatened mammal in Central America. Of the felids, Puma concolor and Leopardus pardalis were each captured on five photographs each, while Panthera onca was only captured once during a preliminary pilot survey in 2007. The results suggest the study site hosts a species richness of large-and medium-sized mammals that is comparable to other sites in Central and South America.

Monitoring program for mammals in a protected area of Colombia

“…On the contrary, Monroy-Vilchis et al (2010) and Gonthier & Castañeda (2013) obtained limited photographs of this species; they attributed their results to the low sensitivity of camera traps due to the small size of these animals. Reports by other authors, such as Lira-Torres & Briones-Salas (2012), described D. novemcinctus as an abundant species.…”

“…Bogotá Additionally, monitoring mammal diversity and activity patterns is important due to the relationships of these animals with anthropogenic dynamics, as supported by evidence outside and inside protected areas affected by human presence (Ordeñana et al 2010, Lira-Torres & Briones-Salas 2012, Gonthier & Castañeda 2013, Lynam et al 2013, in agriculture lands near forests (Cove et al 2013), in interfaces between rural and urban areas (Abi Said & Amr 2012, Saito & Koike 2013, as well as in relation with the presence of exotic species (Ordeñana et al 2010, Lenth et al 2008. Therefore, monitoring species community diversity and activity patterns are fundamental aspects when evaluating species vulnerability within a protected area.…”

“…This evidence is essential to predict changes in populations and communities in space and time, as well as to identify the threats they face (Salom-Pérez et al 2007, Ordeñana et al 2010, Sathyakumar et al 2011, Gonthier & Castañeda 2013, Saito & Koike 2013, in order to implement timely and appropriate management actions (Sathyakumar et al 2011, Lira-Torres & BrionesSalas 2012, Saito & Koike 2013.…”

“…Information on medium-and large-sized mammals that inhabit protected areas in Colombia is increasingly necessary to promote actions aimed to their protection, both at the regional and national scales (Springer et al 2012, Gonthier & Castañeda 2013. Currently, the Otún Quimbaya Flora and Fauna Sanctuary (SFFOQ) has research (Arredondo 2008) and monitoring (Ramírez et al 2008) programs as part of its management activities.…”

<b>LA MOSKITIA HONDUREÑA, EL LÍMITE MÁS AL NORTE DE LA DISTRIBUCIÓN ACTUAL DEL OSO HORMIGUERO GIGANTE (<i>Myrmecophaga tridactyla</i>)</b>

“…Según McCain (2001) el registro de Punta Gorda fue basado en un reporte sin documentar de Alston. Algunos autores mencionan que el oso caballo estaba extirpado de la región mesoamericana (Timm and Laval, 2002); sin embargo, existen registros basados en huellas, huesos, cráneos, avistamientos, videos y fotografías que evidencian su presencia en la región de la Moskitia de Nicaragua y Honduras (Koster, 2008;Castañeda, 2008b;Portillo et al, 2010;Gonthier y Castañeda, 2013). Para la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (uicn, 2004) el oso caballo (M. tridactyla) se encuentra en la categoría de Vulnerable, para Honduras se encuentra en lista de preocupación según resolución GG-dapvs-003-98 afe/cohdefor (en literatura).…”