The implementation of water developments for wildlife is a common management practice in regions with seasonal water shortages. The water developments are installed to benefit species of human interest, nevertheless, they can be used by other species. In this note we report observations of small rodents visiting the water developments in a locality in the Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Biosphere Reserve. The water developments were monitored using 12 camera traps during the 2018 dry season in the locality of San Gabriel Casa Blanca, Oaxaca. We calculate the visit rate of rodents and compared it between two types of water developments. We observe 154 visits of rodents of at least four genera: Peromyscus, Liomys, Sigmodon and Dipodomys. The mean visit rate for both types of water developments was 18.8 ± 37.7 visits/100 days. We don´t find significant differences in the visits among the water development types. Using camera-traps we demonstrate the visits and use of water developments by some species of cricetids. Likewise, we suggest that the lack of ramps or concave walls in the troughs represents a risk for small species. Other studies are necessary to evaluate the effect of the water developments on the biomass, survival, abundance of rodents in dry forests.

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Uso de bebederos artificiales por pequeños roedores en un bosque tropical seco en Oaxaca, México

We aimed to evaluate the temporal and spatial use of waterholes by ocelots in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (CBR), Mexico. From 2014 to 2017, we monitored 11 waterholes with camera traps. We compared diel activity patterns with circular statistics depending on waterholes’ level of human intensity and distance to the Calakmul road, seasonality, and sex. We identified 40 different ocelots. Four waterholes were the most important ones, being 2 of them close to the road. Individuals took on average 19 days to return to waterholes. The diel activity of ocelots was 63.67% nocturnal, 20.70% crepuscular and 15.60% diurnal, and they were more diurnal in waterholes distant from the road. Their activity pattern was bimodal and it did not change between any of the categories tested. This is the first study to determine the spatial and temporal activity of ocelots in waterholes of Mexico. Ocelots are mainly nocturnal, and this pattern is conserved throughout CBR, however, they are able to adjust slightly their activity depending on extrinsic factors, such as an increased human presence. In the Calakmul region, all waterholes are crucial, and we particularly emphasize the conservation of the most important waterholes for ocelots, especially the ones close to the road.

Waterhole use and diel activity pattern of ocelots in Calakmul rainforest, Mexico

“A record of the coyote (Carnivora: Canidae) in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Mexico”. In recent years the coyote (Canis latrans) has expanded its range in the tropical areas of Mexico and Central America. We report the first record of a coyote in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in the southeastern, Mexico. Using photo trapping, from December 2018 to June 2019, tree photographs of coyotes were obtained from a site located in the center of the southern core area of the reserve.

Registro del coyote (Carnivora: Canidae) en la Reserva la Biosfera de Calakmul, México

Objective: To describe the use of artificial drinking fountains by the central American Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve.
Design/methodology/approach: Eight artificial drinking fountains were monitored each one with a trap camera with the aim to estimate the relative abundance index and activity patterns of visits to the drinking fountains. The monitoring was during the dry season of 2019. The analyzes were carried out with the InfoStat and R programs.
Results: From January to May 2019, with a sampling effort of 1121 days/camera, average abundance of 160.08±85.44. The pattern of visits to the drinking troughs was mainly diurnal.
Limitations of the study/implications: The use of trap cameras in the artificial drinking fountains allows us to know the extent of habitat modification in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve.
Findings/conclusions: The implementation of artificial drinking fountains in the RBC during the dry season was a successful action to mitigate the effects of water scarcity. The use of the water resource by the Central American Agouti in artificial drinking fountains was constant, other species of mammals and birds were also observed making use of artificial drinking fountains.

Victor D. Duque-Moreno

Papers

Uso de bebederos artificiales por el sereque centroamericano (Dasyprocta punctata) en la reserva de la biosfera de Calakmul, México