[Animals] Trap cameras capture little-explored wildlife in the desert and dry forests of Peru and Ecuador

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For two years, Peruvian biologists and researchers Álvaro García-Olaechea, Zoila Vega and Cindy Hurtado toured the Sechura desert (arid ecosystem) and the dry forests of northern Peru and southern Ecuador (semi-arid ecosystem) to meet the mammals that live there.

The methodology they used to discover these elusive inhabitants was camera traps. They installed a total of 279 of these monitoring equipment, between April 2015 and September 2016, in eleven places of the two ecosystems that are part of this study.

A group of coatis captured by camera traps installed in ecosystems in northern Peru and southern Chile. Photo: Center for Sustainable Biodiversity Research.
A group of coatis captured by camera traps installed in ecosystems in northern Peru and southern Chile. Photo: Center for Sustainable Biodiversity Research.
Of the eleven defined sites, six are located in protected natural areas and five in unprotected places. In addition, three of the monitoring points are within the Sechura desert and the remaining eight are in the dry forests of northern Peru and southern Ecuador.

As part of the study, interviews were also carried out with local people to find out what species inhabit each area, direct observation sessions were carried out and the tracks or tracks left by the animals were also considered.

The images captured by the camera traps confirmed the presence of 20 native species and seven exotic species of mammals registered in both ecosystems. In addition, there were records that show a greater distribution area for some species such as the neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis) and the greater grison (Galictis vittata).

 

https://elcomercio.pe/tecnologia/ecologia/camaras-trampa-captan-la-fauna-poco-explorada-de-desierto-y-bosques-secos-de-peru-y-ecuador-noticia/