Habitat use and activity pattern of tayras (Eira barbara) in Parque Estadual das Furnas do Bom Jesus - SP

• Grant number: 13/07733-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2013
• End date: March 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Rita de Cassia Bianchi
• Grantee: Thaís Angeli
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Carnivores are animals of great importance to natural ecosystems and in general biodiversity conservation. They are considered keystone species because they can regulate prey populations and structure natural communities based on predation, and can play the role of umbrella species since efforts to conserve enough areas for carnivores conservation also preserve other species of the community. Tayra (Eira barbara) is a relatively common animal in several Brazilian savannas (cerrado) areas of São Paulo State, but, as in most carnivorous species, their ecology is not well known. Thus, the aim of this work is to study habitat use and activity pattern of tayras in Parque Estadual das Furnas do Bom Jesus - SP through the use of camera traps. The tayras' habitat preference will be evaluated by the difference in the occupancy rates of the park's vegetation covers using models of occupation, and the activity pattern will be evaluated with the analysis of the specific period of the day that gets more records of the animal activity. (AU)