Threatened South American coati found roaming in a large city

Date:
April 27, 2022
Source:
Pensoft Publishers
Summary:
The South American coati is a medium-sized mammal with a wide
distribution in South America. Despite this, it is endangered
in southern Brazil, primarily because of the loss of forest
habitats. Researchers recorded an individual at the Canoas Airbase,
one of the last remaining green spaces in a densely urbanized area
of a large city in southern Brazil.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
You may assume that metropolitan areas are devoid of wildlife, but that
is very far from the truth. The remaining green spaces within the urban matrices of large cities can serve as corridors or stepping stones for
wild animals.

Sometimes, even threatened mammal species end up using them.


==========================================================================
On August 12, 2020, a research team from Brazil recorded a South American
coati in Canoas, the fourth most populous and densely urbanized city
in the southernmost state of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul. The animal was
detected with a camera trap during a Masters research project conducted
at the Canoas Airbase, one of the last green spaces remaining in the municipality.

Widely distributed throughout the continent, the South American coati
is a medium-sized carnivore living on trees and feeding mainly on small invertebrates and fruits. The species is classified as Vulnerable in Rio
Grande do Sul, and it's considered threatened mainly because of the loss
of its forest habitats.

The study that recorded an individual in the urban area was conducted
as part of a partnership between the Canoas Airbase and La Salle
University. Led by Dr Cristina Vargas Cademartori from La Salle
University, the research team was made up of Diego Floriano da Rocha
(Doctoral student), Thai's Brauner do Rosario (Masters student), Ana
Carolina Pontes Maciel (biologist at the Canoas Airbase), and Duana Suelem Alves (undergraduate student). They described in detail the record and
the study area in a paper in the open-access journal Neotropical Biology
and Conservation.

The researchers were surprised to find the coati in the midst of a
dense urban area. Although the species is not considered threatened in
the majority of its area of distribution, its populations have been in
decline because of habitat loss and hunting.

"This record confirms the capacity of this species to use environments
that have been changed by anthropic activity," the researchers write
in their paper, adding that, because of all the food that humans leave
behind, urban environments can in fact favor the establishment of more adaptable species like the coati.

The discovery highlights the importance of urban green spaces for
wildlife conservation. "This is very important for defining appropriate conservation measurements for endangered species, especially beyond
protected areas," the authors conclude.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Pensoft_Publishers. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Diego Floriano da Rocha, Thai's Brauner do Rosario, Ana Carolina
Pontes
Maciel, Duana Suelem Alves, Cristina Vargas
Cademartori. Record of occurrence of Nasua nasua (Linnaeus,
1766) (Carnivora, Procyonidae) in a densely urbanized area of the
city of Canoas, southern Brazil.

Neotropical Biology and Conservation, 2022; 17 (2): 111 DOI:
10.3897/ neotropical.17.e81824 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220427100515.htm

--- up 8 weeks, 2 days, 10 hours, 51 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)