Mammalian Diversity and Matses Ethnomammalogy in Amazonian Peru Part 1: Primates

Mammalian Diversity and Matses Ethnomammalogy in Amazonian Peru Part 2: Xenarthra, Carnivora, Perissodactyla, Artiodactyla, and Sirenia

“…The terrestrial groups treated in this report (Xenarthra, Carnivora, Perissodactyla, Tayassuidae, and Cervidae) together with Primates (treated by Voss and Fleck, 2011) comprise most of the mammalian biomass but only a small fraction of the taxonomic diversity in Amazonian habitats, where bats, rodents, and marsupials probably make up 80% or more of the species in well-sampled local faunas (Voss and Emmons, 1996). Therefore, any general inferences about mammalian diversity, endemicity, community ecology, and ethnobiology in the Yavarí-Ucayali interfluve are premature, and the following discussion is restricted to the taxa of immediate interest.…”

“…Hunting is also key to male reproductive success, because men who cannot hunt well are considered worthless and cannot attract wives or sex partners (Fleck and Voss, 2006). Traditional Matses hunting methods-described in detail by Romanoff (1984), Voss and Fleck (2011), and this report-rely for their success on detailed knowledge of animal behavior. Among other senses honed by constant use, the hunter's sense of smell is engaged to a greater extent than many urban dwellers may easily credit.…”

“…417 nivorous diet supplemented by invertebrates and browse (Kiltie, 1981(Kiltie, , 1982Kiltie and Terborgh, 1983;Byers, 1985;Bodmer, 1989;Tobler et al, 2009;Blake et al, 2012). Matses observations confirm the fondness of this species for the very hard, golf-ball-size nuts of Astro caryum spp., the coconutlike endosperm of which is an important trophic resource otherwise accessible only to capuchin monkeys (Terborgh, 1983;Voss and Fleck, 2011), white-lipped peccaries (Kiltie, 1982;see below), and rodents (Emmons, 1997;Voss and Fleck, in prep.). Interestingly, the Matses claim that collared peccaries consume the dense, ivory-hard endosperm of Mauritia flexuosa seeds, which Kiltie (1982) believed to be eaten only by whitelipped peccaries.…”

“…The first report in this series (Voss and Fleck, 2011) introduced our materials and methods, summarized current knowledge about the physical geography and floristics of the Yavarí-Ucayali interfluve (figs. 1,2), and analyzed taxonomic and ethnographic information about the local primate fauna.…”

Evaluación Del Conocimiento Indigena Kichwa Como Herramienta De Monitoreo en La Abundancia De Animales De Caza

“…Las entrevistas a través de la teoría de consenso cultural (Weller, 2007) puede ser una gran alternativa para monitorear los animales de caza, porque es de bajo costo, fácil de implementar y se basa en el conocimiento tradicional de los pobladores locales sobre los recursos naturales. El conocimiento de los recursos naturales por lo pobladores locales no esta en duda; los indígenas Guarayos de la Amazonía boliviana y los Matsés de la Amazonía peruana son grandes conocedores de la ecología y abundancia de los animales de caza (Van Holt et al, 2010;Voss & Fleck, 2011), los indígenas Cashinahuas tienen amplio conocimiento metódico en abundancias de plantas muy similar al conocimiento académico (Pitman et al, 2011). Esto es sólo una pincelada del conocimiento indígena sobre la abundancia de los recursos naturales lo cual puede ser usado como instrumento de monitoreo mediante el uso del consenso cultural.…”