Underground jaguars: first record of a jaguar (Panthera onca) using a giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) burrow

Carlos E. Fragoso; Taile E.  S. Nascimento; Arnaud L. J. Desbiez

doi:10.31687/SaremNMS24.08.5

Autores/as

Carlos E. Fragoso Associação Onçafari (Onçafari), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Taile E. S. Nascimento Associação Onçafari (Onçafari), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Arnaud L. J. Desbiez Wild Animal Conservation Institute (ICAS), Campo Grande, MS, Brazil. Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), Murrayfield, Edinburgh, UK. Institute for Ecological Research (IPÊ), Nazaré Paulista, SP, Brazil.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31687/SaremNMS24.08.5

Palabras clave:

behavior, Cerrado, Panthera onca, Priodontes maximus, threatened species

Resumen

There are several behavioral adaptations used by mammals to reduce the metabolic costs of preventing homeostasis disruption caused by excessive heat, such as seek shaded places. Burrows are great thermal refuges that provide buffered cooler microclimates. Here we report the first record of a jaguar Panthera onca using a giant armadillo Priodontes maximus burrow, potentially as a thermal refuge. This behavior was recorded in the Grande Sertão Veredas National Park, Cerrado biome, Central Brazil. As future global scenarios expect higher temperatures, giant armadillo burrows may become progressively more important during daily and seasonal periods of extreme heat.

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