Space use by the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla): a review and key directions for future research

Bertassoni, Alessandra; Ribeiro, Milton Cezar

doi:10.1007/s10344-019-1334-y

Cited by 17 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 57 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The giant anteater's highly developed sense of smell is effective for specialized foraging and various types of communication (Gaudin et al, 2018;Rodrigues et al, 2008). The solitary giant anteater's home range (0.72 km 2 -32.5 km 2 ) is dependent on location, gender, and extrinsic factors such as seasonality and human impact (Bertassoni & Ribeiro, 2019;Rodrigues et al, 2008). Location and outside forces also lead to variability in density.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the Influence of Conspecifics on a Male Giant Anteater's (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) Pacing Behavior

Eyer¹,

Miller²

2020

AB&C

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Stereotypic behavior has been studied in various species, but little information exists on stereotypies in giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) under professional care. Giant anteaters are known for their solitary nature and well-developed sense of smell. This study examined the effect of conspecifics who were housed off-exhibit on a male giant anteater’s rate of pacing and pacing intensity when he was on-exhibit. Instantaneous sampling was used to determine the percentage of time pacing, the number of pacing bouts and pacing bout duration. Randomization tests determined that the reduction in the male giant anteater’s rate of pacing significantly decreased after conspecifics were relocated to a different building. Pacing bout duration, a potential measure of intensity, also significantly decreased during the treatment phase. In addition, the giant anteater changed his pacing location after the removal of conspecifics. He transitioned from pacing near the conspecifics’ off-exhibit location during the baseline to the opposite quadrant of the exhibit after their departure. These results suggest that keeping a male giant anteater in proximity to conspecifics without the ability to interact with them had an impact on his behavior. Better understanding the motivations for stereotypic behaviors of giant anteaters will better inform housing decisions made by zoo professionals.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the Influence of Conspecifics on a Male Giant Anteater's (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) Pacing Behavior

Eyer¹,

Miller²

2020

AB&C

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Once home range crossing time indicates the timescale of autocorrelation in position, our results show that, on average, a two-days interval between consecutive relocations is necessary to consider them spatially independent [ 63 ]. However, previous studies using GPS devices have adopted monitoring regimes much shorter than that and unconsidered the spatial autocorrelation of data [ 30 , 42 ], probably leading to underestimating results. This is an important factor explaining why our estimates of daily distance moved, and home range size were, in average, bigger than those provided by recent studies [ 30 , 42 ], once AKDEc incorporates and controls for the autocorrelation in both location and velocity [ 63 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, previous studies using GPS devices have adopted monitoring regimes much shorter than that and unconsidered the spatial autocorrelation of data [ 30 , 42 ], probably leading to underestimating results. This is an important factor explaining why our estimates of daily distance moved, and home range size were, in average, bigger than those provided by recent studies [ 30 , 42 ], once AKDEc incorporates and controls for the autocorrelation in both location and velocity [ 63 ]. Other possible explanations to this discrepancy can be related to the intrinsic characteristics of monitored individuals and the environmental characteristics associated with the site and period of monitoring.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the efforts to understand giant anteaters’ movement ecology, previous estimates of their home range size have ignored the intrinsic autocorrelation of high-resolution movement data and have not been based on movement models, probably generating underestimated results [ 24 , 30 ]. While some studies showed no evidence of sexual effects on their movement [ 36 , 40 ], other ones showed males presenting longer daily activity time [ 41 , 42 ] and using larger areas than females [ 42 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Sexual, allometric and forest cover effects on giant anteaters’ movement ecology

et al. 2021

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Knowing the influence of intrinsic and environmental traits on animals’ movement is a central interest of ecology and can aid to enhance management decisions. The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is a vulnerable mammal that presents low capacity for physiological thermoregulation and uses forests as thermal shelters. Here, we aim to provide reliable estimates of giant anteaters’ movement patterns and home range size, as well as untangle the role of intrinsic and environmental drivers on their movement. We GPS-tracked 19 giant anteaters in Brazilian savannah. We used a continuous-time movement model to estimate their movement patterns (described by home range crossing time, daily distance moved and directionality), and provide an autocorrelated kernel density estimate of home range size. Then, we used mixed structural equations to integratively model the effects of sex, body mass and proportion of forest cover on movement patterns and home range size, considering the complex net of interactions between these variables. Male giant anteaters presented more intensive space use and larger home range than females with similar body mass, as it is expected in polygynous social mating systems. Males and females increased home range size with increasing body mass, but the allometric scaling of intensity of space use was negative for males and positive for females, indicating different strategies in search for resources. With decreasing proportion of forest cover inside their home ranges, and, consequently, decreasing thermal quality of their habitat, giant anteaters increased home range size, possibly to maximize the chances of accessing thermal shelters. As frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and deforestation are increasing, effective management efforts need to consider the role of forests as an important thermal resource driving spatial requirements of this species. We highlight that both intrinsic and environmental drivers of animal movement should be integrated to better guide management strategies.

show abstract

“…Perhaps the feeding ecology of giant anteaters is, as with solitary orangutans (Maple, 1980), the main factor influencing their social organization. The encounters reported here may have been facilitated because female home ranges can overlap (Shaw et al, 1987;Bertassoni & Ribeiro, 2019), thus providing opportunities for individuals to interact. Moreover, environmental characteristics should be taken into account.…”

Section: Palavras-chave: Encontros Não Agonísticos Espécie Solitáriamentioning

confidence: 99%

Report of three non-agonistic encounters of free-living giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)

Catapani¹,

Molina²,

Lopes³

et al. 2020

Edentata: The Newsletter of the IUCN/SSC Anteater, Sloth and Ar

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is considered a solitary species except for the reproductive and parental care periods. Agonistic encounters among giant anteaters have been previously reported, describing conflicts and fights between individuals. However, non-agonistic encounters have not been reported in the scientific literature. Three instances of such encounters were recorded: two in which two females, carrying their cubs, were foraging together for periods of a few hours, and another where a female with her cub beside her was foraging alongside an adult of unknown sex. Details of these encounters are described in this note, contributing to knowledge of the natural history of the species. Relato de três encontros não-agonísticos entre tamanduás-bandeira (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)Resumo O tamanduá-bandeira (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) é considerado uma espécie de hábitos solitá-

show abstract

Space use by the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla): a review and key directions for future research

Cited by 17 publications

References 57 publications

Evaluating the Influence of Conspecifics on a Male Giant Anteater's (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) Pacing Behavior

Evaluating the Influence of Conspecifics on a Male Giant Anteater's (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) Pacing Behavior

Sexual, allometric and forest cover effects on giant anteaters’ movement ecology

Report of three non-agonistic encounters of free-living giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About