Home Band size, activity pattern and occupancy of the coati Nasua narica (Carnivora, Procyonidae) in the Southeastern Mexican rainforest
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Band size, activity pattern and occupancy of the coati Nasua narica (Carnivora, Procyonidae) in the Southeastern Mexican rainforest

  • Gabriela Pérez-Irineo EMAIL logo and Antonio Santos-Moreno
Published/Copyright: January 19, 2016

Abstract

The White-nosed coati or tejon, Nasua narica, is relatively common within terrestrial mammal communities though little information on its population ecology has been gathered in certain regions. This study evaluates the band size, activity pattern and occupancy of N. narica at Los Chimalapas, in the eastern region of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, a biodiverse region. It is expected that band size will be greater and activity time will differ from that of predators. Camera traps were used to record the species (2011–2013) in a rainforest at Southeastern Mexico. Band size and activity pattern were calculated based on photographic records. Activity pattern was compared between seasons and with that of predators. The spatial distribution of activity, as well as relationship to the proximity of water, populated areas, crops and the presence of predators, was evaluated with occupancy models. Average band size was 9.03±0.52 individuals. As expected, N. narica presented principally diurnal activity and its activity patterns did not differ seasonally, but differed significantly from those of its predators. The occupancy probability of N. narica was 0.66 and the detection probability was higher in proximity to the nearby village. The population of N. narica at Los Chimalapas may be considered similar to other regions, particularly the band size; predator activity patterns may be an important factor in the activity of N. narica, but not in its occupancy.


Corresponding author: Gabriela Pérez-Irineo, Laboratorio de Ecología Animal, Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional, Unidad Oaxaca, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Hornos 1003, Colonia La Noche Buena, Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, Oaxaca, Código Postal 71230, Mexico, e-mail:

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the San Antonio Nuevo Paraíso community for the facilities provided; IDEA WILD for equipment donation; R. Rivera, of the Geospatial Analysis Lab at CIIDIR-IPN, Unidad Oaxaca, for geographical data; Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología provided a scholarship to the first author; Instituto Politécnico Nacional provided funds (Projects SIP-20110395, SIP-20120962 and SIP-20131154 granted to A. Santos-Moreno); those persons that collaborated with field work; and R. de Castillo-S., G. Ramos-F., R. Solano-G., and M. García-G., and two anonymous reviewers for comments and suggestions.

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Received: 2014-9-11
Accepted: 2015-11-25
Published Online: 2016-1-19
Published in Print: 2016-11-1

©2016 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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