Juliana Quadros

Diet of the Neotropical Otter, Lontra longicaudis, in an Atlantic Forest Area, Santa Catarina State, Southern Brazil

The diet of the neotropical otter (Carnivora, Mustelidae) was studied from September 1995 to March 1997, in Volta Velha, an Atlantic Forest reserve in the coastal plain of Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil. Fecal samples were collected monthly along the rivers Saí-Mirim, Braço do Norte and Volta Velha. Additionally, from October 1996 to June 1997, a qualitative and quantitative study of fish species available in the studied rivers was performed. The analysis of 202 collected fecal samples indicated a diet based on fish (mainly Hoplias malabaricus and Geophagus brasiliensis) and crustaceans (mainly Trichodactylus fluviatilis, a river crab), characterizing the neotropical otter as piscivorous-cancrivorous in the study area. The presence of fruits, reptiles, birds and mammals in the diet is occasional and opportunistic. Probably the higher consumption of a certain fish species compared to its availability and the high percentage of occurrence of T. fluviatilis in scats of the neotropical otter reflect their higher catchability.

Food habits and anthropic interference on the territorial marking activity of Puma concolor and Leopardus pardalis (Carnivora: Felidae) and other carnivores in the Juréia-Itatins Ecological Station, São Paulo, Brazil

Food habits of puma, ocelot and other carnivores were studied in Jureia (80.000 ha), one of the largest remnants of Atlantic forest of the state of Sao Paulo. The study was based on the analysis of scats found during a sampling period of 15 months and 415 km traversed. The diversity of prey found was high for both felines, with higher frequency and estimated biomass of collared peccary and the greater naked-tailed armadillo in the diet of the puma, and marsupials in the diet of the ocelot. The highest frequency of carnivore scats was found distant from traditional households, suggesting avoidance behavior towards human presence.