Camera traps capture images of predators of Caiman crocodilus yacare eggs (Reptilia: Crocodylia) in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands

Abstract

Camera traps were set up in forest nests in 2009, 2010 and 2012 to capture images of possible predators eating eggs of the Pantanal caiman, Caiman crocodilus yacare. We monitored 57 caiman nests; 42 nests were opened and the eggs were counted (mean = 25 eggs/nest, SD = 4.3). Females were present and captured at 38 of those nests. The remaining 15 nests were used as controls, and we did not capture the females or open the egg cavities of these nests. Most of the nests had the eggs eaten by predators, in both the disturbed group (38 nests) and the control group (13 nests). The main predators were carnivorous mammals, such as crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous), coatis (Nasua nasua) and tayras (Eira barbara), although feral pigs (Sus scrofa) and armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) were also photographed eating caiman eggs. The lizard Salvator merianae was photographed eating eggs of two nests.

Keywords:

• Crocodylia
• caiman
• nests
• camera traps
• Pantanal

Acknowledgements

We thank Embrapa Pantanal for providing financial support through its Macroprograma 03. We are also indebted to our colleagues J.A. Dias, D. Tilcara, L.A. Rondon, and H. de Jesus for their help in finding nests, to N. Xavier for his help with the camera traps, and to Ms B. Allain and W. Magnusson for English grammar and style corrections to the paper. The caimans in this study were captured under permit number 13048-1 from IBAMA, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources.