IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Carvajal, S.; Caso, A.; Downey, P.; Moreno, A.; Tewes, M. | |
| Home Range and Activity Patterns of the Margay (_Leopardus wiedii_) at "El Cielo" Biosphere Reserve, Tamaulipas Mexico | |
| 2007 Conference Proceeding | |
The margay (_Leopardus wiedii_) is listed as endangered in Mexico, and is an Appendix I species under CITES. The only previous study on this felid was in 1989 in Belize where a single individual was radio-tracked. The northernmost distribution of the margay is found at "El Cielo" Biosphere Reserve (REBC) in Tamaulipas, Mexico. In 2002, we started an in situ project to evaluate the status of the margay population at the RBEC. The goal of this project was to determine home range size and activity patterns of margays using radio telemetry. We used 20 tomahawk traps baited with live chickens for 420 nights. We captured 15 margay with a total of eight different individuals (five males and three females). Margays were sedated with tiletaminezolazepam (Telazol) at a mean dosage of 4 mg/kg, and fitted with VHF radio-collars. Mean home range value for four males was 4.03 km2 and 0.96 km2 for a female. Activity patterns indicated highest activity between 1800 h and 0400 h, confirming that margays were primarily nocturnal. Even though that this is the newest information available for the species, we are continuing this study to better assess the population of the margay at the REBC. |
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