COMPORTAMENTO E INTERAÇÕES DE TATUS NO BRASIL CENTRAL: REGISTROS INÉDITOS E USO DE TOCAS POR DIVERSAS ESPÉCIES DE VERTEBRADOS

Abstract

Armadillos, belonging to the order Cingulata, play an important role as ecosystem engineers. Their burrowing activities shape the environment, create new habitats and benefit other species. However, much of the intraspecific and interspecific interactions are still unknown for many Brazilian armadillos. In this study, we organized the dissertation into two chapters with the aim of describing the behavior and intraspecific and interspecific interactions for two species of armadillos in fragmented landscapes in the south of the state of Goiás, in central Brazil. In Chapter 1, we recorded the behavior of Euphractus sexcinctus when carrying its young in its mouth. In Chapter 2, we investigated the use of Priodontes maximus burrows by different vertebrate species. We recorded E. sexcinctus carrying its young in its mouth in a plantation area in the municipality of Serranópolis and found two published articles on this behavior for armadillos of the Chlamyphoridae family in South America. In addition, through social media, we found seven videos of E. sexcinctus carrying their young in their mouths in Brazil. Carrying their young in their mouths seems to be a common behavior among armadillos of the Chlamyphoridae family and a strategy for escaping different disturbances in the environment. In the protected area Refúgio de Vida Silvestre Serra da Fortaleza, in the municipality of Quirinópolis, we monitored 20 P. maximus burrows using camera traps. We recorded 32 vertebrate species (19-mammals, 10-birds, 2-reptiles and 1-an amphibian), with some interacting for more than five seconds in front of the burrow, and using the burrows for shelter and to build nests. We hope that this study will contribute to knowledge about the natural history of armadillos and to the definition of future conservation strategies.