Abstract

GONZALEZ-D., Tania Marisol; KASTON FLOREZ, Franz  and  ARMENTERAS P, Dolors. CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LAND COVER USE BY THE LOWLAND TAPIR, Tapirus terrestris colombianus HERSHKOVITZ 1954 (PERISSODACTYLA: TAPIRIDAE) IN THE SIERRA NEVADA DE SANTA MARTA IN THE BASINS OF ANCHO AND PALOMINO RIVERS - NORTHERN COLOMBIA. Bol. Cient. Mus. Hist. Nat. Univ. Caldas [online]. 2014, vol.18, n.1, pp.125-137. ISSN 0123-3068.

The Colombian tapir is found in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta; it is an endemic subspecies that presents high risk of vulnerability of local extinction, because of habitat loss and hunting. This study assessed the coverage use of the Colombian tapir in the basins of the Ancho and Palomino (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta) rivers using telemetry and field follow-up, and analysis of vegetal coverage. It was found that the tapir tends to stay in the same patches, which are conformed by a mosaic of rainforest and secondary vegetation. On the other hand, the general action ranges for the species showed to be wide in comparison to other ranges calculated for the species with an area close to 200 ha. This kind of calculations is important to provide knowledge of the species' ecology and to establish their coverage requirements, which is important information to develop successful conservation actions.

Keywords : tapir; coverage use; coverage preference; home range; telemetry.

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