MEDIUM TO LARGE SIZED MAMMALS IN VÁRZEAS DO RIO IVINHEMA STATE PARK, MATO GROSSO DO SUL, CENTRAL-WESTERN BRAZIL

Abstract

Habitat degradation and alien species are among the greatest threats to mammals. The degradation of the Atlantic Forest remnants makes it essential to carry out mammal inventories. In this sense, the species richness and the relative frequency of medium and large mammals was evaluated based on active search (192 hours) and camera traps (345 trap-nights). The study was conducted from July 2019 to June 2020, in the Várzeas do Rio Ivinhema State Park - VRISP, Mato Grosso do Sul State - MS. A total of 30 native species were found, representing 62% of mammals in MS, in addition to three invasive alien species. Our survey added sixteen new occurrences to the VRISP. The occurrence of Leopardus braccatus is the first record for the Atlantic Forest biome. Our study contributes to conservation measures proposed by VRISP, which plays a fundamental role in wildlife conservation in the Rio Paraná biodiversity corridor.