Jaguar Detectives

Category: Day by day | Date: Jun 30 2008 | By: jaguardetectives

Despite malfunction in two cameras we still increase our database on wildcats in Pontal and other important species. This is the first time we record a lesser-anteater (Tamandua tetradactyla) on our surveys.

The lesser-anteater.

As the cameras make no distinction between species, we are collecting information on mammal species abundance such as nine-banded-armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), important felid prey on neotropical forests. To promote predators conservation is vital to gather information on their prey.

Nine-banded-armadillo.

Does anybody risk to guess which ocelot is this one at Ponte Branca?

The SEE-U Brazil Companion finished last Friday. Was a great experience!

SEE-U 2008

I am trying to post on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, sometimes is not possible, but I do still trying to keep you updated on our activities! Keep it coming!

See you on Wednesday!

9 responses so far

Category: Day by day, Jaguar and ocelot names | Date: Jun 26 2008 | By: jaguardetectives

Yay!!! Nice results start to appear from Ponte Branca!!! And more new ocelots individuals on our records! A particular one I will call Theresa, bestowed Theresa Siskind who very generously made the very first donation to the project via Wildlife Direct. Thank you Theresa!

The ocelot “Theresa”, at Ponte Branca.

Nothing is perfect and one of the cameras has malfunctioned, despite being programmed to work only at night, discharged the entire film roll in one afternoon taking amazing photos of… nothing!

A delightful photo of…? Night photo programmed - afternoon photo?

Maybe some remember when I spoke on fixing cameras in the fence trying to get the animals that use the paths on the pasture. So, I could not resist and did try my luck again and fixed one. There is! Some cats and lots of cows!

A beautiful Nelore at the edge of Ponte Branca… Ok, no more cameras in the fence…

There are much more news and some new species. Keep it coming folks!

We have set the date for the next jaguar expedition at Ivinhema to August 4^th until August 15^th!!!

See you on Friday!

5 responses so far

Category: Day by day | Date: Jun 23 2008 | By: jaguardetectives

It has been a lot of work on SEE-U, which is now on its last week! In all these activities I had to go to Belo Horizonte to presents my master’s research design to a committee on the University. Definitely a long day! Waked up at 3:30 a.m. to get a ride from IPÊ’s headquarters at Nazaré Paulista (where I am because of SEE-U) to São Paulo. Then a bus to the airport. A one hour flight to Belo Horizonte, more one hour and a half hour in a bus, a taxi ride and I – or what remains of me – finally arrived at University at 10:30 a.m. I just walk directly to the presentation room and when opened the door get surprised by the amount of people in there. I was not expecting so many people. All the students from my class was presenting their projects and I arrived just half hour before my turn… A mix of anxiety and nervous in the minutes before and here go…

And the conceptual model of the project…

Obrigado! Of course Wildlife Direct was in there representing all you that help to support our work donating through this blog! Thank you all!

I presented my questions and hypothesis, the design of the research with ocelots and some preliminary results. Questions? Two comments. OK! After lunch, two hours of conversation with my advisor, a local bus to the bus station, more one and a half hour to the airport, a nocturnal flight to São Paulo with beautiful view of city lights from sky – finally I get a window! Another bus a ride to Nazaré and what remain of me – and I can say that was not too much – arrive back at 22:00 p.m. Another day!

I just sent more eleven film rolls from Ponte Branca to process. Cross your fingers to good pictures!

See you on Wednesday!

One response so far

Category: Day by day | Date: Jun 18 2008 | By: jaguardetectives

At last, after three field days working in the same area, we return to Ponte Branca to fix the last three camera stations. It was a warm day and as soon as we reached the forest edge something moved fast making a great noise close to Cicinho. A rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus)!!! Cicinho jumped to one side and the snake to the other. We hold it just a second to guarantee a good picture before it goes. One jararaca the day before and a rattlesnake early that morning makes you watch your step very carefully all day long…

Cicinho and the rattlesnake.

The rattlesnake looking for a still place.

If you look too much for something you will find it at the end… Even using leg protection, we were concerned of snakes on the trails and it was not difficult to find a “snake baby”. Have no idea witch specie it is, but probably from the family Colubridae.

The baby-snake.

Cameras distribution on the fragment.

Finally, all our cameras are locked and loaded!!! Sixteen stations well positioned. Let’s see what it brings to us now!

See you on Friday!

8 responses so far

Category: Day by day | Date: Jun 16 2008 | By: jaguardetectives

Today we arrived on Ponte Branca late. Marina needed to return to her activities at the University and we dropped her off at the bus station to say good bye. Once we arrived at Ponte Branca to carry on our work we found good and fresh ocelot tracks. The best part: the track followed the trails where we fixed the traps.

Fresh ocelots tracks on our trails.

Our mission there was to fix our stations at the east part of the forest.

Here we go…

After a few minutes in the forest we had an unexpected not-exactly-friendly meeting with one animal that was just relaxing on the ground in a sunspot: a jararaca (Bothrops jararaca). A session of pictures, and as they say: Live and let live…

A not-so-friendly snake on our way. Or was that us in its way?

We left our not-so-friendly acquaintance waiting for a more distracted and of course smaller mammal to cross its way and - who knows - maybe become a meal. Let’s continue our journey. It was a good day to find animals. After the jararaca meeting and two stations up and running, we started to hear a very characteristic sound in the trees. There they were: the noisy brown-capuchin-monkeys (Cebus nigritus).

A brown-capuchin-monkey hiding from us!

Always curious and smart, they stayed a little before they went back into the forest looking for more interesting stuff than a group of humans in their territory. To finish our day, we saw four blue-and-yellow-macaws on a palm!!! These animals bring life to the forest! It’s just a privilege to have to opportunity to watch these animals in the wild. They used to be captured in all its range to become pets because of their beauty, which makes it almost impossible to find them now in some regions of the country. I tried my best to get good photos, approaching the palm step by step. But it wasn`t enough… they flew away, passing right in front of me, and – because of slow camera adjustments – I lost one of the greatest opportunities to have a wonderful picture. As they say: you win some, you lose some…

The blue-and-yellow-macaws at Ponte Branca.

Flying away

I am posting on old field companions, despite the delay, because I do think it is important to post chronologically. Right now, since May 19th, I have been working as a Teaching Assistant at the Summer Ecosystem Experiences for Undergraduates (SEE-U), promoted by CERC – Center of Environmental Research and Conservation by New York`s Columbia University . I need to say that it has been a great experience in both my professional and personal lives.

See you Wednesday!

2 responses so far