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Differences in activity patterns of the Neotropical otter Lontra longicaudis between rivers of two Brazilian ecoregions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2016

Marcelo Lopes Rheingantz ,
Caroline Leuchtenberger ,
Carlos André Zucco  and
Fernando A.S. Fernandez
Marcelo Lopes Rheingantz*
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação de Populações, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Brigadeiro Trompowski, S/N, CCS, Bloco A, Sala A2-102, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil, CEP 21941-590 - Caixa Postal 68020 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia (PPGE/ UFRJ), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Ecologia, Av. Brigadeiro Trompowski, s/n. CCS, Bloco A, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. CEP 21941-590 - Caixa Postal 68020
Caroline Leuchtenberger
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Vida Selvagem, Embrapa Pantanal, 21 de Setembro, 1880, Corumbá, MS, Brasil. CEP 79320–900
Carlos André Zucco
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação de Populações, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Brigadeiro Trompowski, S/N, CCS, Bloco A, Sala A2-102, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil, CEP 21941-590 - Caixa Postal 68020 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia (PPGE/ UFRJ), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Ecologia, Av. Brigadeiro Trompowski, s/n. CCS, Bloco A, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. CEP 21941-590 - Caixa Postal 68020
Fernando A.S. Fernandez
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação de Populações, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Brigadeiro Trompowski, S/N, CCS, Bloco A, Sala A2-102, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil, CEP 21941-590 - Caixa Postal 68020 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia (PPGE/ UFRJ), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Ecologia, Av. Brigadeiro Trompowski, s/n. CCS, Bloco A, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. CEP 21941-590 - Caixa Postal 68020
*
1Corresponding author: Marcelo Lopes Rheingantz. Email: mlrheingantz@gmail.com
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Abstract:

Circadian use of time is an important, but often neglected, part of an animal's niche. We compared the activity patterns of the Neotropical otter Lontra longicaudis in two different areas in Brazil using camera traps placed at the entrance of holts. We obtained 58 independent photos in the Atlantic Forest (273 camera trap-days) and 46 photos in Pantanal (300 camera trap-days). We observed different kernel density probabilities on these two areas (45.6% and 14.1% overlap between the 95% and 50% density isopleths respectively). We observed the plasticity in Neotropical otter activity behaviour with different activity patterns in the two areas. In the Pantanal, the Neotropical otter selected daylight (Ivlev = 0.23) and avoided night (Ivlev = −0.44), while in the Atlantic Forest it selected dawn (Ivlev = 0.24) and night (Ivlev = 0.14), avoiding daylight (Ivlev = −0.33). We believe that this pattern can be due to human activity or shifts in prey activity.

Keywords

activitycamera trapcircular kernelNeotropical otterniche shift
Type
Short Communication
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 32 , Issue 2 , March 2016 , pp. 170 - 174
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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