Notes on home range and habitat use of three small carnivore species in a disturbed vegetation mosaic of southeastern Brazil / Notes sur le territoire et l'utilisation de l'habitat de trois espèces de petits carnivores dans une végétation mosaïque perturbée au Sud Est du Brésil

Abstract

AbstractThe home range and habitat use of three carnivore species was investigated in a disturbed forest of southeastern Brazil. Three jaguarundis ( Herpailurus yagouaroundi ), two crab-eating foxes ( Cerdocyon thous ), and two tayras ( Eira barbara ) were radio-tracked to test the hypothesis that home ranges and habitat use would differ between the proportion of habitat types available. The largest home ranges were those of one male jaguarundi (2047 ha) and the male crab-eating fox (1053 ha). The smallest were those of the females of crab-eating fox (48 ha) and jaguarundi (188 ha). The female jaguarundi was the only individual to show a significant difference between observed and expected habitat use. All species used disturbed habitats (secondary forest, grassland savanna, and Eucalyptus plantation) to varying degrees. Thus, these species showed great flexibility in their use of disturbed habitats.