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The numbers of black cainan c'bserved/km ranged frolll O to 14.7 anct the
number/hr. from O to 4O.A (Table II). Actual transect tengthsin most cases
nay be longer than the calculated straiqht Iine lenghts presented resulting
i'l a sliqhtly elevated density/kn. Ho!.tever, coftparison of these data with
other such surveye in other parts of the world still will put the Ecuador
data in perspectrwe. (King et.al. l99ol reported on ntght liqht coLrntE of
Crocodylus acLrtus in Hondu.as and found densities ranqt^g trom O to 2.3/km.
(trlood et.a1,1985) analy?ed 78 transects in Flortda that had been st-rrvpyed
for allrgators Allioator lnississiFpinesjE; from 1 to 1J yearE, Erqht of the
78 routes {tO.27.) had mean densitieE erceediflg 13 aninalg/km. a..d 54
transectE {697-) had mean densities of lesE than 5/km.
Conclusion
rhrs 6rrvey rs a first step toward providing an initrat assessnent of
black caiman E'tatL,s In Ec!'ador, Hclwever, betore {Llrther proqrpsE rs nade
tbe follodrhg 4eqdE hL,st be net.
(1) PoFLrlatlon data that will tre FLrt\llshed by othpr researchprs
EhoLrld be conbined Hith thp data froo tbis project to provrdF
a more ca.rslete r|r.tLrrp o{ statLrs.
i?) Ih order to rnte.Fret the night ilqbt data tftlrs tar gathp.ed,
the eJJect6 of nnnutsl variation in water levpls and other
en!1ranmental facto.s on coLrnts must be addressed. Ne have
Frovrded sorne short tern trarnng t6r clne EcLradorian broloqist
and the jnrtial l: sLr.veys are pre=.ently berng replrcateci on a
nonthl / basis.
rl) uJe ot'qerved viable FoELrlatior,s of blacfi caiman, However. the
quantitl c.i habrtal avarlable in tne Amaron region of Ecuador
r€ lrnhno!.ini hre belreve LANDSAT i.naqery brrll allor uE to
rdprlrf'. and rtL'antita ca.irnan habitat throrrghot.t the regron.
,4r Othe. rrver systems erist rn the regiont parti.Lrlarly the
sritensrve arpa sc'lrth of the Rio Napo- Asan?a (pers- conn.)
rpoorts black cafman ln thrs area, Aetare we can estabiiqh a
haEr- tor collntrywide a='sess.nent of thE' statlrs ot black
carmao, s).stematic surwey data shol']d be obtained f-oh these
IilsL'r!eved arPas,
A lono-te-o bri,loqic.l1y solrnd crocodjllian manag€ment program 1n
EcLrBdor dlll recL,ire a continLred research e{fort tc' establish the
dataf'Bs.e. In addition to the previousl./ inentioned Frojpcts,
imn'ediate Er rc'rities sholrld tnclLrde research deatinq |.rlth (l] reprodLrctive
cycle o{ blacla carman (?l mortality .nd crowth (3) continumg efforts to
lnFro.re pop!'lation rnonitorinq and (4) rnter€'pec.ific cornFetition betlreen
l!c]-{!-9E!!i!€_Bge! and Caijnan crocodv)1,E.
Snnultaneous {ith the field research. systematic inwestiqation rnto the
practical aspectE of captrve reaFing of btac!. cainan should beglJ|.
Thts should also include identifying the role that rr|digenous people
may play 'ln the p.oqram and developinq a plan where, rf a ranchrnq program
iE feasibl.e. the conservdtion benefitq will be maximized.