Endangered equine ‘cousin’ found thriving in Peru
Baca Juga
A thriving population of an endangered distant cousin of the Equus caballus has been documented in a network of remote national parks spanning the Peru-Bolivia border.
The forest too grassland-dwelling lowland tapir – a fellow member along amongst the Equus caballus too rhinocerous of the odd-toed ungulate (hooved) creature solid unit of measurement known equally perissodactyls – were constitute past times Wildlife Conservation Society scientists using a combination of photographic television set camera traps too amongst interviews amongst commons guards too subsistence hunters.
WCS estimates at that topographic point are at to the lowest degree 14,500 lowland tapirs inwards the region. The population bridges v connected national parks inwards northwest Republic of Bolivia too southeastern Peru.
The WCS findings were described inwards the Dec number of the journal Integrative Zoology. Authors include Robert Wallace, Guido Ayala, too Maria Viscara of WCS’s Greater Madidi-Tambopata Landscape Program.
The written report synthesizes 12 years of interrogation on lowland tapirs inwards the region. Together amongst WCS studies on jaguars, the results underscore the importance of this protected surface area complex for the conservation of Latin America’s virtually charismatic terrestrial wild fauna species.
“The Madidi-Tambopata landscape is estimated to concur a population of at to the lowest degree 14,500 lowland tapirs making it ane of the virtually of import strongholds for lowland tapir conservation inwards the continent,” said the study’s Pb writer Robert Wallace. “These results underline the fundamental importance of protected areas for the conservation of larger species of wild fauna threatened past times hunting too habitat loss.”
The lowland tapir is the largest terrestrial mammal inwards South America, weighing upward to 300 kg (661 pounds). Its odd prehensile proboscis or snout is used to achieve leaves too fruit. Tapirs are constitute throughout tropical forests too grasslands inwards South America. However, they are threatened past times habitat loss too specially unsustainable hunting due to their large size, depression reproductive charge per unit of measurement (1 nascence every 2-3 years), too ease of detection at mineral licks inwards the rainforest. Lowland tapirs are considered Vulnerable past times the IUCN.
WCS collected too systematized 1,255 lowland tapir distribution records inwards the region. These records came from interrogation observations too photographic television set camera trap photographs equally good equally interviews amongst commons guards of Madidi, Pilón Lajas too Apolobamba National Parks inwards Bolivia, too Bahuaja Sonene too Tambopata National Parks inwards neighboring Peru, too subsistence hunters from nineteen Takana too Tsimane’ communities.
Camera trap information revealed that lowland tapir abundance was higher at sites nether protection than sites exterior protected areas. At ane site sampled over time, the Tuichi River, photographic television set camera trapping has revealed that lowland tapir populations accept been recovering next the creation of Madidi National Park inwards 1995. Prior to the creation of the park, loggers had hunted heavily inwards this area.
Madidi National Park contains eleven per centum of the world’s birds, to a greater extent than than 200 species of mammals, 300 types of fish, too 12,000 industrial plant life varieties. The 19,000 square-kilometer (7,335 foursquare mile) commons is known for its array of altitudinal gradients too habitats from lowland tropical forests of the Amazon to snow-capped peaks of the High Andes.
Working amongst regime partners inwards Republic of Bolivia too Peru, the Greater Madidi-Tambopata Landscape Conservation Program aims to prepare local capacity to conserve the landscape too mitigate a variety of threats to biodiversity too wild fauna including lowland tapirs, including route construction, logging, unsustainable natural resources use, too agricultural expansion.
Julie Kunen, WCS Director of Latin America too Caribbean Area Programs said: “WCS commends our regime too indigenous partners for their commitment to the Madidi-Tambopata Landscape. Their dedication is clearly paying off amongst well-managed protected areas too to a greater extent than wildlife.”
Tapirs accept brachyodont, or low-crowned, teeth that lack cement. Their dental formula totals 42 to 44 teeth; closer to that of equids, which may differ past times ane less canine, than their other perissodactyl relatives, rhinoceroses. They also have elementary stomachs, and, similar horses, are hindgut fermenters that ferment digested nutrient inwards a large cecum.
The tapir may accept evolved from the paleothere Hyracotherium (once idea to travel a primitive horse).
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