Feeding habit of the Brazilian tapir, Tapirus terrestris (Perissodactyla: Tapiridae) in a vegetation transition zone in south-eastern Brazil

Mammals of Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Santuário do Caraça, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

“…The importance of tapirs in the maintenance of an ecosystem, and probably in the distribution of different plant species especially those in the understory of forests, was reported by Talamoni and Assis (2009). Although no scientific study on seed dispersal by tapirs has been conducted in Caraça, it can be assumed that tapirs facilitate the recovery of forests in reserve since they consume large quantities of fruit and disperse the seeds in their feces.…”

“…Information on the mammalian fauna of Caraça was additionally obtained from studies conducted at the site over the last decade (Falcão et al 2003;Talamoni 2003, 2004;Cordeiro-Júnior and Talamoni 2006;Talamoni and Assis 2009;Cordeiro-Júnior et al 2010), which are now presented in this work, and new study with the use of camera traps for medium and large mammals, and through interviews with residents and staff of the locality. Below are summarized the different methods employed in obtaining records of mammals.…”

“…This sampling was performed primarily during the search for, and collection of, feces for the study of the diet of T. terrestris (Talamoni and Assis 2009).…”

Feeding Ecology of Five Neotropical Ungulates: A Critical Review

“…The size of the study areas varied from 200 ha to 1,523,400 ha. The size of the effective sampling area within the study area (area where feces and stomachs were searched and foraging direct obervations were performed) was only reported in five diet records (10%) (Salas & Fuller 1996, Fragoso & Huffman 2000, Kufner et al 2008, Talamoni & Assis 2009, Serbent et al 2011 ). In addition, only nine records (17%) specified the number of sampling sites per ecological unit on the landscape studied (Eddy 1961, Salas & Fuller 1996, Henry et al 2000, Santos et al 2005, Kufner et al 2008, Talamoni & Assis 2009, Serbent et al 2011, Hibert et al 2011, Barcelos et al 2013.…”

“…The size of the effective sampling area within the study area (area where feces and stomachs were searched and foraging direct obervations were performed) was only reported in five diet records (10%) (Salas & Fuller 1996, Fragoso & Huffman 2000, Kufner et al 2008, Talamoni & Assis 2009, Serbent et al 2011 ). In addition, only nine records (17%) specified the number of sampling sites per ecological unit on the landscape studied (Eddy 1961, Salas & Fuller 1996, Henry et al 2000, Santos et al 2005, Kufner et al 2008, Talamoni & Assis 2009, Serbent et al 2011, Hibert et al 2011, Barcelos et al 2013. Only six records (11%) indicated the stage of regeneration of the forest in which the study occurred (Richard et al 1995, Fragoso & Huffman 2000, Richard & Juliá 2001, Gayot et al 2004, Hibert et al 2011, Barcelos et al 2013 (Table 1).…”