The last and endangered maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus) from southern Brazil and Uruguay: new records and spatial distribution modeling

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe biggest canid in the neotropics, the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), is endangered in many parts of its distribution. Only eight records have been reported for Uruguay and the southern border of Brazil over the last 30 years. After a multi-year effort, we present nine new records for this area and characterize Uruguay and southern Brazil’s habitat suitability. Our records confirm the current presence of the species in Uruguay, the Brazilian Pampa, and the Atlantic highlands of southern Brazil, although no local population could be identified. Individuals appear to move in an erratic pattern, possibly when searching for other members of the species. Only three regions presented multiple records (all in the Atlantic highlands), indicating the possible existence of local populations. Although most of southern Brazil and Uruguay are highly suitable for the species, none of the 21 surveyed areas (with 50,816 camera trap nights) within putative distribution areas have confirmed the species occurrence, as all records reported here came from opportunistic encounters. In light of this, we believe that very few individuals still occur in the southern limit of the maned wolf distribution, and thus, the species can certainly be classified as critically endangered in the Brazilian Pampa/Uruguayan Savanna.