Abundance, herd size, activity pattern and occupancy of ungulates in Southeastern Mexico

This study provides information about relative abundance, herd size, activity pattern, and occupancy of ungulates at Los Chimalapas, southeastern Mexico, one of the last refuges inhabited by two conservation priority ungulate species: Tapirus bairdii and Tayassu pecari. For three years, four species of ungulates were recorded using camera traps: T. bairdii, T. pecari, Mazama temama, and Tayassu tajacu, involving an effort of 8529 trap-days and 839 records. T. pecari was found to be highest in relative abundance, while T. tajacu's abundance was lowest. Populations were composed principally of adults, but there were records of offspring for all four species. The herd size was smaller compared to other populations of T. tajacu and T. pecari. Occupancy models were used to analyze the presence of the species in the region and showed that M. temama and T. bairdii had a high occupancy probability. In comparison, the occupancy probability of T. pecari was low. This study shows that ungulate populations are still breeding, and have higher possibility of permanence, in Los Chimalapas, Southeastern Mexico. The region is an important area for the conservation of T. bairdii and T. pecari, both disappeared from some other areas of the southeast.