Abstract

SANTOS-MORENO, Antonio  and  PEREZ-IRINEO, Gabriela. Tepezcuintle (Cuniculus paca) abundance and its relationship with the presence of competitors and predators in a tropical forest. Therya [online]. 2013, vol.4, n.1, pp.89-98. ISSN 2007-3364.  https://doi.org/10.12933/therya-13-97.

The tepezcuintle (Cuniculus paca) is one of the largest living rodents of Latin America. In many rural and indigenous communities, it is the most consumed wild mammal by its inhabitants, so its populations are subjected to considerable pressure, mainly by hunting and alteration and removal of its habitat. Our study estimated population density of the tepezcuintle and its temporal variation in a high evergreen forest in the eastern part of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. We used camera traps and the ideal gas model, as well as the relationship between the presence of this species and the presence of their mammalian predators and competitors. The monthly average population density was 0.492 ± 0.361 individuals per hectare, and its variations are probably due ultimately to changes in precipitation. The presence of tepezcuintle showed an inverse and statistically significant relationship with that of its competitors (agouti) and predators (ocelot and jaguar). The tepezcuintles are mainly actives between 18:00 and 02:00, while agouties are diurnal.

Keywords : density; phototrapping; gas ideal model; Oaxaca; Mexico.