Volume 80, Issue 5, September 2015, Pages 380–384
Abstract
In
solitary carnivores, scent marking is an important form of
communication among individuals. We examined the extent of potential
communication among ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) at communal
latrine sites at the population level. We used a combination of
camera-trapping and noninvasive genetics to monitor 18 ocelot latrines
in an isolated population on Barro Colorado Island in the Republic of
Panama. We found that 72% of monitored ocelot latrines were used by
multiple individuals of both sexes, with a mean of 3.0 individuals
(range 1–9) per year using each latrine. One highly used latrine was
visited by 17 different individuals including 11 males and 6 females
over the course of 6 years. Based on visits to the same latrine within
10 days of one another, potential for scent communication among
individuals was high. Males had the potential to communicate with a mean
of 5.9 other individuals (range 2–14), and females had the potential to
communicate with a mean of 4.5 other individuals (range 3–12) at
latrines. We conclude that communal latrines are important centers of
scent communication for Leopardus pardalis.
Keywords
- Camera-trapping;
- Communication networks;
- Felidae;
- Noninvasive genetics;
- Scent marking
- Corresponding
author at: Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University,
5230 Old Main Hill Logan, UT 84322, USA. Tel.:
+1 970 903 1475.
Copyright © 2015 Deutsche Gesellschaft für Säugetierkunde. Published by Elsevier GmbH All rights reserved.
