Jaguars, ocelots, coatimundis…oh my: Species composition and temporal overlap of a diverse carnivore guild in the Sierra of Tamaulipas, México

Abstract

Studying interspecific interactions and community composition within carnivore guilds are often difficult to complete and is seldom done in North America. Here we used a historic camera trap database from 2009 to 2010 to describe the carnivore diversity and investigate the temporal niche partitioning of community members within the northern edge of the Sierra of Tamaulipas, México. We detected 15 different species of carnivores including six Felids, three Mephitids, as well as two Canids, Mustelids, and Procyonids each. In our diel activity analysis, we observed significant differences in diel activity between jaguars (Panthera onca) and mesocarnivores including ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), jaguarundis (Puma yagouroundi), and gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus). Ocelots, gray foxes, and white-nosed coatimundis (Nasua narica) had the highest occupancy rates across the study. Difficulty to understand temporal interactions between bobcats (Lynx rufus), pumas (Puma concolor), margay (Leopardus wiedii), coyote (Canis latrans), badgers (Taxidea taxus), three species of skunks (Mephitis sp; Conepatus sp.; Spilogale sp.), and long–tailed weasel (Neogale frenata) may have been related to habitat use, activity, low local populations, or reclusive behavior. This study illustrates the ecologically rich Sierra of Tamaulipas holds a diverse carnivore community and there is a need for continued monitoring to further understand the dynamics within this ecosystem.

Keywords

• Diel overlap
• Gray fox
• Jaguar
• Jaguarundi
• Ocelot
• White-nosed coatimundi