Enhancing the knowledge of Herpailurus yagouaroundi for its conservation in Morelos, México

David Valenzuela-Galván; Floriely Castro-Campos; Cuauhtemoc Chávez; Adrián Rueda-Rosas; Juan Carlos Martínez-Montes

doi:10.12933/therya_notes-25-234

Authors

David Valenzuela-Galván Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación (CIBYC), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM), Morelos, Mexico https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6324-4374
Floriely Castro-Campos Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Lerma, Mexico; Fundación para el Manejo y la Conservación de la Vida Silvestre, A.C. https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3179-0631
Cuauhtemoc Chávez Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, División de Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Lerma, Mexico https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2201-4748
Adrián Rueda-Rosas Maestría en Biología Integrativa de la Biodiversidad y la Conservación, Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación (CIBYC), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM), Morelos, Mexico https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9227-9779
Juan Carlos Martínez-Montes Maestría en Biología Integrativa de la Biodiversidad y la Conservación, Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación (CIBYC), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM), Morelos, Mexico https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3526-1887

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12933/therya_notes-25-234

Keywords:

Camera trapping, dry forest, endangered species, jaguarundi, photographic capture rate, protected natural area, Sierra de Huautla

Abstract

The jaguarundi is one of the six wild feline species found in Mexico and is considered threatened, with population trends indicating a decline. It is a species difficult to capture, with very few recorded sightings. More studies on its ecology are needed. The data were obtained through photo-trapping samplings conducted at six ejidos (communal landholdings) within the Sierra de Huautla Biosphere Reserve (REBIOSH), in southern Morelos, from 2015 to 2022, using between 35 and 61 camera traps on each 30-60 day sampling periods. The cameras were deployed on sampling grids with a minimum separation of 500 m. We obtained 25 records of the species in 15 different sites within the REBIOSH. On average, its photographic capture rate in this protected natural area (PNA) was 0.63 ± 0.67 individuals per 1,000 trap days. Most of these new records were obtained in wide ravines within large fragments (ranging from 80 to over 1,500 ha) of preserved continuous dry forest, at altitudes below 1,200 m above sea level, and during the daytime. This increases knowledge of the species’ distribution in Morelos and provides evidence that, in the REBIOSH, this species has a persistent population with a wide distribution,
especially in its southern and northeastern portions, although it is low in abundance. We provide concrete suggestions to help conserve it within this PNA and in the state of Morelos.