Edentata 5 - Anteater, Sloth & Armadillo Specialist Group

Emas National ParkWe placed 45 CamTrakker (CamTrak South,Watkinsville, GA, USA) automatic cameraphototraps in Emas National Park (18 o 19’S,52 o 45’W) in the Brazilian cerrado from 28November - 21 December, 2002 to begin acamera-trapping monitoring program. Locatedin the southwestern region of the State ofGoiás, south-central Brazil, the park entrance isa 11⁄2-hour drive south from the town of Mineiros.Emas National Park’s 131,000 ha protects aunique landscape consisting largely of savannah,woodland/savannah, and dry forest ecosystems.e cerrado occupies the central Brazil plateau,and the cerrado flora is considered the richestof all tropical savannah regions, with very highlevels of endemism.Of the family Myrmecophagidae, we observedgiant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) onseveral occasions and the camera phototrapscaptured several on film, including one carryinga young. On a private ranch just south ofthe park, in a wooded area along a river, weobserved a juvenile tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla)crossing the road and then scaling anearby tree at our approach. Our camera trapsphotographed an adult.In the family Dasypodidae, we observed sixbandedarmadillos (Euphractus sexcinctus) twicewhile driving along dirt roads in the park. ecamera phototraps photographed the giantarmadillo (Priodontes maximus), tracks ofwhich we often observed on dirt roads withinthe park. Also photographed by the cameraphototraps were a six-banded armadillo (E.sexcinctus), naked-tailed armadillo (Cabassoustatouay) and nine-banded armadillo (Dasypusnovemcinctus).Guyana (J. Sanderson)As part of the Rapid Assessment Program(RAP) of the Center for Applied BiodiversityScience at Conservation International, a RAPTraining Course was held at Mabura HillTownship, West Pibiri Creek, Guyana at theTropenbos Ecological Station (5 o 00’40.9”N,58 o 36’50.0”W) from 4-18 September, 2001.Located in the interior of central Guyana, WestPibiri Creek was previously an active loggingconcession operated by Demerara TimbersLimited (DTL) for the selective extraction ofvaluable hardwoods such as greenheart. e areais described as a riverine floodplain forest (evergreenrain forest) on alluvial soils. is forestis often strongly dominated by Mora (Moraexcelsa, though with abundance of Crabwood,Carapa guianensis), Trysil (Pentaclethra macroloba)and Sarebebe (Macrolobium bifolium).e population of the Mabura Hill Township isestimated to be about 700, primarily employeesof DTL. e research staff of the Tropenbos-Guyana Programme (TGP) living there makeup only 3% of the population.While walking along a former logging road, Iobserved a tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla)approximately 8 m from the ground walkingalong branches.I participated in a RAP study from 21-29September, 2001 at the beginning of thedry season at Pobuwau Creek (3 o 16’03.1”N,58 o 46’42.7”W) located on the Kwitaro River(a tributary of the Rewa River, which in turnruns into the Rupununi, an affluent of theEssequibo), in Region 9 in southern Guyanaand at Cacique Mountain (3 o 11’29.5”N,58 o 48’42.0”W) six miles southwest of PobuwauCreek. Both sites were approximately 130 melevation and vegetation was lowland, seasonallyinundated, evergreen tropical forest. e riverwas at high water but dropping rapidly, and fellapproximately 1.5 m during our brief visit. Ideployed 12 CamTrakker camera phototraps inour study area.On one occasion a camera phototrap caughta giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) at itsburrow. Subsequently, tracks were found nearthe burrow when the camera was retrieved.Acknowledgements: We wish to thank the governmentof Brazil for permission to work inEmas National Park.41