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Trophic ecology and the use of shelters and latrines by the Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis) in the Taquari Valley, Southern Brazil

2008; Fundación Zoobotánica de Rio Grande do Sul; Volume: 98; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1590/s0073-47212008000400009

ISSN

1678-4766

Autores

Carlos Benhur Kasper, Vinícius A. G. Bastazini, Juliana Salvi, Hamilton Cézar Z. Grillo,

Tópico(s)

Fish Ecology and Management Studies

Resumo

This manuscript presents information about the ecology of Lontra longicaudis (Olfers, 1818) in the Taquari Valley, State of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. The study was carried out in two areas located in the Forquetinha Creek and in the Forqueta River from January to December 2003. The otters are specialist feeders (Bsta = 0.24), with a diet based mostly on fish, especially those of the families Loricariidae and Cichlidae. Most shelters used by the species were excavated burrows underneath tree roots, while shelters within rocks were used less frequently. The burrows showed great variation in size, being found on average 3.5 m (sd = 3.6 m) away from the margin and 2.5 m (sd = 1.2 m) above the water level. Scent marks were made preferentially on rocks and fallen tree trunks at the edge of the water. There was a tendency to increase the reutilization of latrines in detriment of using new sites throughout the sample period.

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