Densidade e distribuição de onça pintada (Panthera onca) em uma área de mineração na Amazônia Oriental

Abstract

The eastern portion of the Amazon is the region that has been suffering most from anthropogenic pressures, directly affecting the fauna and causing an ecological imbalance at the food chain level. Large mammals tend to be more vulnerable to changes in the landscape, as they are almost always associated with more preserved environments and large continuous areas of forest. Large cats are among the species affected by 5 anthropogenic disturbances. In this work we evaluate the density of jaguars (Panthera onca) in different habitats, in a context of high levels of environmental degradation, in addition to mapping the local distribution of identified individuals. For this, 67 camera traps were used, distributed in a 1 x 1 km grid, in an area of 19,000 ha. Altogether 1,202 independent photos of Panthera onca were taken in the study area. Some traps were placed in a paired sampling system in order to photograph both sides of the animal at the same time. The jaguars were identified using the rosette pattern observation methodology, which are unique in each animal, working as an individual fingerprint. In all, 18 individuals of the jaguar were identified, which conferred a density of 9.47 ind/100km2. The distribution of individuals is correlated to the forest areas in the study area. From the data collected in this work, it may be possible to think of a landscape management for the region, based on the density and distribution of jaguars.