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Abstract
Giant river otters are endangered and knowledge about this species is incomplete, especially in the Brazilian Amazonia, which holds large populations of the species. In order to improve our knowledge for species conservation, we present data on site and refuge use by giant river otters in the Amanã Reserve, Brazilian Amazonia. During 40 sampling trips (October 2004 to September 2008) we recorded information and the physical characteristics of 193 campsites, 182 dens and 62 resting sites. Animals were site-selective, preferentially building their dens, campsites and resting sites at < 2 m from the water, on slopes < 45°, and avoiding using water bodies < 1 m deep. The information presented here stresses the importance of river margins for giant river otters, indicating that these areas are key habitats for their conservation.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá and Ministério da Ciência e Tecnologia, and its Fundo para Expansão do Programa de Pesquisas do Instituto Mamirauá (FEPIM); Petrobras, and its Programa Petrobras Ambiental; Fundação Instituto para o Desenvolvimento da Amazônia (FIDESA); Instituto Internacional de Educação do Brasil through its Programa BECA-IEB/Fundação Moore (B/2007/02/BMP/03), Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa (CNPq) (Process n° 135248/2007-8) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for financial support. Thanks to the staff at the IDSM, especially José e José Raimundo; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Tropical (PPGBio – UNIFAP) and Dr Daniel de Brito for their assistance and advice.