Medium and large sized mammals of a semideciduous forest remnant in southern Brazil

Abstract

Knowledge about mammals of the Atlantic Forest is still lacking, especially because some places remain poorly studied or inventoried, which makes conservation initiatives difficult. We aimed to determine the species richness and composition of medium and large sized mammals in a semideciduous forest remnant, Morro do Coco, thus contributing information about the occurrence of mammalian fauna in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. The methods consisted of interviews with local inhabitants, visual records and sand plot analysis. The study took place from July 2008 to April 2009, with monthly expeditions of three days. Sixteen species of mammals were recorded, seven of which are threatened with extinction in Rio Grande do Sul and one nationally. The predominant trophic group was the frugivorous/herbivorous. The study area is situated in a prioritized zone for the conservation of mammals in Greater Porto Alegre, since it consists of one of the last remnants where the phytophysionomies that originally occupied the edge of Guaiba Lake and granite hills of the region are represented and preserved.