Research

behavioral ecology of game species

We use camera traps to study the behavior and movement of game species in the Peruvian Amazon; species which directly contribute to the food security and economic stability of Maijuna hunters. Camera traps are an effective method to monitor mammals passively because they are motion-activated and can be left in the forest for several months at a time. Maijuna hunters eat all sorts of mammals, but here are some of the main species:

Lowland Paca

Majás

Cuniculus paca

Collared Peccary

Sajino

Pecari tajacu

Red Brocket Deer

Venado Colorado

Mazama americana

Brazilian Tapir

Sachavaca

Tapirus terrestris

current questions

How does hunting pressure, or perceived risk, impact mammal behavior at mineral licks?
Do game mammals exhibit seeking behavior for mineral licks?
How is the game mammal occupancy of the Maijuna-Kichwa Regional Conservation Area changing over time in response to hunter movement?

recent findings

Herbivore and Frugivore Behavior

We used a fantastic modeling approach to test the two leading hypotheses of geophagy for six different herbivorous and frugivorous mammals at mineral licks. We found that the frugivores followed the mineral supplementation hypothesis, visiting mineral licks with mineral-rich soils more often. We found that the folivores followed the toxin adsorption hypothesis, seeking soils with high pH and clay content. The only omnivore, the collared peccary, didn't seem to adhere to any single hypothesis. This study incorporates several data sets and ties mammal behavior to their physiological needs and natural history. Our study includes the most robust examination of mineral licks in a single system that has yet been published.

Red Brocket Deer (Mazama americana) Behavior

A robust statistical analysis gives some insight into the behavior of the most common mineral lick visitor, the red brocket deer, a cryptic cervid with red fur. While they likely receive many benefits, magnesium, sodium, copper, and other biologically critical minerals were strong predictors of red brocket deer visitation, indicating support for the mineral supplementation hypothesis: that dietary stress from a lack of needed micronutrients may drive geophagy in the species.

Visitation Patterns at Mineral Licks

Many game mammals visit mineral licks seasonally in the Maijuna-Kichwa Regional Conservation Area. This is likely due to factors such as shifting diets (e.g. more fruit in the rainy season) and perceived risk (e.g. predators cannot see as well in a new moon). We demonstrate patterns of visitation for the paca, red brocket deer, collared peccary, Brazilian porcupine (Coendou prehensilis), Brazilian tapir, black agouti (Dasyprocta fuliginosa), red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus), and blue-throated piping guan (Pipile cumanensis). This graph shows predicted tapir visitation.

Two-Toed Sloths at Mineral Licks

We described two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) visitation at mineral licks holistically for the first time. We found that sloth visitation patterns were likely tied to landscape characteristics such as elevation, slope, and distance from a water source. Camera traps also showed fascinating interspecies interactions at mineral licks, which included sloths. This video shows a sloth interacting with a Brazilian porcupine, which was captured during a collaboration with the Morpho Institute at a mineral lick on the property of Amazon Explorama Lodges.

Ocelots Eat Porcupines

This one is somewhat self-explanatory. We recorded an ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) stalking and killing a Brazilian porcupine in a mineral lick. This record expands the known diet of the ocelot to include porcupines, and demonstrates the risk that prey mammals take when they visit these open spaces to consume soil.

Community Similarity Associated with Hunting

We demonstrated that the communities of mammals that visit mineral licks were more similar at mineral licks which were closer to the community, and therefore under heavier hunting pressure. These results suggest that hunting shifts species compositions to be less diverse at these key ecological resources. This may mean that mammals exhibit behavioral adaptations to perceived risk of hunting, or that hunters preferentially target licks and zones which have a greater abundance of preferred game species.

The Nocturnal Curassow Isn't Nocturnal

How strange is that? Camera trap data on nocturnal curassow foraging at mineral licks demonstrates that the nocturnal curassow is, in fact, diurnal. Admittedly, they are very difficult to find and study! Here's an overlap graph of nocturnal curassow activity patterns.

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