First mating report of tayra (Eira barbara) in the wild, in Panamá

Abstract

There is little information about the mating process of Eira barbara (tayra or black cat, as it is known in Panamá).  Reported only in captivity, by Poglayen-Neuwall (1975).  Two camera traps were placed, 220 m apart, within the Altos de Campana National Park, in the border area with the community of El Chileno.  The sounds emitted by individuals during the event were analyzed using the PREMIERE PRO-6.0.0 and Raven Pro1.5 programs.  We describe stages of this process evidenced in a sequence of 8 videos of 10 seconds each, captured by one of our camera traps; we consider the event as a single mount.  Both individuals make sounds during the event, which we interpret as frequent clicks 3.19 KHz dominant and 3.23 KHz dominant frequency trills.  We compared this event with the one reported in captivity by Poglayen-Neuwall (1975).  Both in captivity and in our report, the nuchal grasp and the occasional dragging of the female by the male are observed.  We also carried out the first bioacoustics analysis of the mating process of this species.

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