Capture methods of Caiman latirostris Daudin, 1802 (Crocodylia, Alligatoridae) in northern Uruguay, with notes of defensive and feeding behaviours

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5216/rbn.v19iesp.73832

Keywords:

caiman surveys, carcass consumption, crocodiles, freezing, tonic immobility

Abstract

Caiman latirostris is a Neotropical crocodilian for which there is scarce natural history information in regard to other species, as also about survey methods used by field researchers. In this work we report the capture methodology implemented during population monitoring in northern Uruguay and some observations about defensive and feeding behaviours. We found the use of a metallic clamp as very useful for capturing juveniles and subadult individuals (< 120 cm total length) in vegetated habitats, while a wire snare was used for adults. Regardless locomotor escape, we provide a reappraisal of defensive behaviours in the presence of humans, with particular comments on tonic immobility. In addition, we suggest an apparent case of carcass consumption (scavenging) for the species, a presumedly common behaviour but sometimes hard to observe in wild crocodilians.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bassetti, L. A. B., T. S. Marques, A. Malvásio, C. I. Piña & L. M. Verdade. 2014. Thermoregulation in captive broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris). Zool. Studies. 53: 9.

Bayliss, P. 1987. Survey methods and monitoring within crocodile management programmes. pp. 157-175. In: Webb, J. W., S. C. Manolis & P. J. Whitehead (Eds.). Wildlife management: crocodiles and alligators, Australia, Surrey Beatty and Sons Pty Limited and The Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory.

Borteiro, C., C. Prigioni, J. E. García, M. Tedros, F. Gutiérrez & F. Kolenc. 2006. Geographic distribution and conservation status of Caiman latirostris (Crocodylia, Alligatoridae) in Uruguay. Phyllomedusa. 5(2): 97-108.

Borteiro, C., F. Gutiérrez, M. Tedros & F. Kolenc. 2008. Conservation status of Caiman latirostris (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae) in disturbed landscapes of northwestern Uruguay. S. Am. J. Herpetol. 3(3): 244–250.

Borteiro, C., F. Gutiérrez, M. Tedros & F. Kolenc. 2009. Food habits of the Broad-snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris: Crocodylia, Alligatoridae) in northwestern Uruguay. Studies Neotrop. Fauna Environ. 44(1): 31-36.

Brito del Pino, J. 1956. Diario de la Guerra del Brasil (Agosto de 1825 – Noviembre de 1828). Montevideo. 395 p.

Carl, N. & J. Darlington. 2017. Extended parental care in Broad-snouted Caiman Caiman latirostris (Daudin, 1801) (Crocodylia, Alligatoridae). Herp. Notes. 10: 127-129.

Chabreck, R. H. 1963. Methods of capturing, marking and sexing alligators. Proceedings of the 17th Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Game & Fish Commission: 47-50.

Cott, H. B. 1961. Scientific results of an inquiry into the ecology and economic status of the Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) in Uganda and Northern Rhodesia. Trans. Zool. Soc. London. 29(4): 211-356.

Coutinho, M. E., B. Marioni, I. P. Farias, L. M. Verdade, L. Bassetti, S. H. S. T. de Mendonça, T. Q. Vieira, W. E. Magnusson & Z. Campos. 2013. Avaliação do risco de extinção do jacaré-de-papo-amarelo Caiman latirostris (Daudin, 1802) no Brasil. Biodiversidade Brasileira. 3(1): 13-20.

Cupul-Magaña, F. G., A. Rubio-Delgado & A. Reyes-Juárez. 2005. Observaciones sobre la incursión al ambiente marino y ocurrencia de un hábito alimenticio inusual del cocodrilo americano (Crocodylus acutus) en una playa del Pacífico centro-occidente de México. Nowet (Rosario). 3: 46-47.

Dantas, M. A. T., A. Cherkinsky, C. M. B. Lessa, L. V. Santos, M. A. Cozzuol, E. C. Omena, J. L. L. Da Silva, a. N. Sial & H. Bocherens. 2020. Isotopic paleoecology (δ13C, δ18O) of a late Pleistocene vertebrate community from the Brazilian intertropical region. Rev. Bras. Paleontolog. 23(2): 138-152.

Diefenbach, C. O. da C. 1979. Ampullarid gastropod−staple food of Caiman latirostris. Copeia. 1979(1): 162-163.

Diefenbach, C. O. da C. 1988. Thermal and feeding relations of Caiman latirostris (Crocodylia: Reptilia). Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 89A: 149-155.

DNH. Direción Nacional de Hidrografía. 2000. Aprovechamiento de los recursos hídricos superficiales. Inventario Nacional 1998-1999. Ministerio de Transporte y Obras Públicas, Montevideo, Uruguay. 101 p.

Erickson, B. R. 1990. Paleoecology of crocodile and whale-bearing strata of Oligocene age in North America. Historical Biol. 4(1): 1-14.

Escobar-Lasso, S., M. Gil-Fernández, J. Sáenz, E. Carrillo-Giménez, G. Wong & L. G. Fonseca. 2016. Inter-trophic food provisioning between sea and land: the Jaguar (Panthera onca) as provider for sea turtle carcasses to terrestrial scavengers. Int. J. Cons. Sci. 7(4): 1081-1094.

Filho, P. R. J., R. F. Freitas-Filho, Y. C. Nóbrega & A. F. Barreto-Lima. 2021. Introdução a métodos de campo para estudos com crocodilianos brasileiros. pp. 95-119. In: Barreto-Lima, A. F., M. R. D., Santos & Y. C. Nóbrega (Eds.). Tratado de crocodilianos do Brasil. Vitória, Instituto Marcos Daniel.

Francesconi, F. & O. Lupi. 2012. Myiasis. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 25(1): 79-105.

Forrest, R. 2003. Evidence for scavenging by the marine crocodile Metriorhynchus on the carcass of a plesiosaur. Proc. Geol. Assoc. 114(4): 363-366.

Gallagher, A. J., Y. P. Papastamatiou & A. Barnett. 2018. Apex predatory sharks and crocodiles simultaneously scavenge a whale carcass. J. Ethol. 36(2): 205-209.

Gallup, G. G. 1974. Animal hypnosis: factual status of a fictional concept. Psychol. Bull. 81(11): 836-53.

Gorzula, S. J. 1978. An ecological study of Caiman crocodilus crocodilus inhabiting savanna lagoons in the Venezuelan Guyana. Oecologia. 35: 21-34.

Greene, H. W. 1988. Antipredator mechanisms in reptiles. pp. 1-152. In: Gans, C. & R. B. Huey (Eds.). Biology of the Reptilia, Ann Arbor, USA, Branta Books.

Hagenaars, M. A., M. Oitz & K. Roelofs. 2014. Updating freeze: aligning animal and human research. Neurosci. & Biobehav. Rev. 47: 165-176.

Handler, K. S., A. L. Subalusky, C. J. Kendall, C. L. Dutton, E. J. Rossi & D. M. Post. 2021. Temporal resource partitioning of wildebeest carcasses by scavengers after riverine mass mortality event. Ecosphere. 12: e03326.

Humphreys, R. K. & G. D. Ruxton. 2018. A review of thanatosis (death feigning) as an antipredatory behaviour. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 72(2): 22.

Hutton, J. M., J. P. Loveridge & D. K. Blake. 1987. Capture methods used for the Nile crocodile in Zimbabwe. pp. 243-252. In: Webb, J. W., S. C. Manolis & P. J. Whitehead (Eds.). Wildlife management: crocodiles and alligators, Australia, Surrey Beatty and Sons Pty Limited and The Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory.

Lang, J. W. 1987. Crocodilian behavior: implications for management. pp. 273-293. In: Webb, J. W., S. C. Manolis & P. J. Whitehead (Eds.). Wildlife management: crocodiles and alligators, Australia, Surrey Beatty and Sons Pty Limited and The Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory.

Larriera, A. & C. Piña. 2000. Caiman latirostris (Broad-snouted Caiman) nest predation: does low rainfall facilitate predator access? Herp. Nat. Hist. 7(1): 1999-2000.

Lim, T. 2015. Estuarine crocodile scavenging on carcass of domestic cat. Singapore Biodiv. Rec. 2015: 36.

Magnusson, W. E. 1983. Size estimates of crocodilians. J. Herpetol. 17(1): 86-88.

Marioni, B., M. S. Magalhaes, R. Boetro-Arias, J. S. E. Silva & R. Da Silveira. 2019. Melanosuchus niger (Black caiman). Diet. Herp. Rev. 50(4): 565-566.

Melo, M. T. Q. 1990. Dieta de Caiman latirostris (Daudin, 1802) (Crocodylia, Alligatoridae) na estação ecológica do Taim, RS. MSc thesis, Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS). 63 p.

Moleón, M., J. A. Sánchez-Zapata, E. Sebastián-González & N. Owen-Smith. 2015. Carcass size shapes the structure and functioning of an African scavenging assemblage. Oikos. 124(19): 1391-1403.

Murugan, V. T., S. N. Vishnu, C. Ramesh, G. Talukdar & A. Das. 2020. Crocodylus palustris (Mugger Crocodile). Scavenging. Herp. Rev. 51(2): 321-322.

Nifong, J. C., M. G. Frick & S. F. Eastman. 2011. Putative predation and scavenging of two sea turtle species by the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, in coastal southeastern United States. Herp. Rev. 42(4): 511-513.

Pacheco, L. F. 1996. Wariness of caiman populations and its effect on abundance estimates. J. Herpet. 30(1): 123-126.

Parachú Marcó, M. V., A. Larriera & C. I. Piña. 2015. Red fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) effects on Broad-snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris) nest success. J. Herpetol. 49(1): 70-74.

Piffer, T. R. O. & L. M. Verdade. 2002. Caiman latirostris (Broad-snouted Caiman) courtship behavior. Herp. Rev. 33(2): 132-133.

Piña, C. & A. Larriera. 2002. Caiman latirostris growth: the effect of a management technique on the supplied temperature. Aquaculture. 211(1-4): 387-392.

Piña, C. & A. Larriera. 2003. Caiman latirostris (Broad-snouted caiman). Feeding. Herp. Rev. 34(1): 56.

Rodrigues, C. F. S. N., R. S. L. Barboza, E. M. dos Santos & J. M. S. Correia. 2021. Communal nesting of broad-snouted caiman, Caiman latirostris (Daudin, 1802), in a protected area of Atlantic Forest in northeastern Brazil. Herp. Notes. 14: 677-680.

Sarkis-Gonçalves, F., M. P. Miranda-Vilela, L. A. B. Bassetti & L. M. Verdade. 2001. Manejo de Jacarés-de-papo-amarelo (Caiman latirostris) em cativeiro. pp. 565-579. In: Matos, W.R.S. (Ed.). A produção animal na visão dos brasileiros. Piracicaba, FEALQ.

Sarkis-Gonçalves, F., A. M. V. Castro & L. M. Verdade. 2002. Descartes de origem animal e o crescimento e ganho de peso do Jacaré-de-papo-amarelho, Caiman latirostris (Daudin, 1802), em cativeiro. Sc. Agricola. 59(2): 243-250.

Schmidt, K. P. 1919. Contributions to the Herpetology of the Belgian Congo based on the collection of the American Museum Congo Expedition, 1909-1915. Part I. Turtles, crocodiles, lizards, and chameleons. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 39: 385-612.

Somaweera, R., M. Brien & R. Shine. 2013. The role of predation in shaping crocodilian natural history. Herp. Monogr. 27: 23-51.

Subalusky, A. L., C. L. Dutton, E. J. Rosi & D. M. Post. 2017. Annual mass drownings of the Serengeti wildebeest migration influence nutrient cycling and storage in the Mara River. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA). 114: 7647-7652.

Taylor, J. A. 1979. The foods and feeding habits of subadult Crocodylus porosus (Schneider) in northern Australia. Wildl. Res. 6(3): 347-359.

Taylor, J. A., G. J. W. Webb & W. E. Magnusson. 1978. Methods of obtaining stomach contents from live crocodilians (Reptilia, Crocodilidae). J. Herpetol. 12(3): 415-417.

Tenney, S. 1877. A few words about scavengers. Am. Nat. 11(3): 129-135.

Verdade, L. M. 1992. Agonistic social behavior of broad-nosed caiman (Caiman latirostris) in captivity: implications to reproductive management. pp. 201-217. In: Proceedings of the 11th Working meeting of the Crocodile Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland, IUCN - The World Conservation Union.

Verdade, L. M. 1999. Caiman latirostris (broad-snouted caiman) behavior. Herp. Rev. 30(1): 38-39.

Verdade, L. M., A. Larriera & C. I. Piña. 2010. Broad-snouted Caiman Caiman latirostris. pp. 18-22. In: Manolis S. C. & C. Stevenson (Eds.). Crocodiles. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan, Darwin, Australia, Crocodile Specialist Group/IUCN.

Verdade, L. M., I. U. Packer, F. Michelloti & M. C. Rangel. 1994. Thermoregulatory behavior of broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) under different thermal regimes. pp. 84-94. In: Larriera, A., A. Imhof, M. C. von Finck, A. L. Costa & S. C. Tourn (Eds.). Memorias del IV Workshop sobre Conservación y Manejo del Yacaré Overo (Caiman latirostris), Santo Tomé, Santa Fe, Argentina, Fundación Banco Bica.

Verdade, L. M. & C. Piña. 2006. Caiman latirostris. Catalogue Am. Amph. and Rept., 833:1‑21.

Vyas, R. 2012. Current status of Marsh Crocodiles Crocodylus palustris (Reptilia: Crocodylidae) in Vishwamitri River, Vadodara City, Gujarat, India. J. Threatened Taxa. 4(14): 3333-3341.

Walsh, B. 1987. Crocodile capture methods used in the Northern Territory of Australia. pp. 249-252. In: Webb, J. W., S. C. Manolis & P. J. Whitehead (Eds.). Wildlife management: crocodiles and alligators, Australia, Surrey Beatty and Sons Pty Limited and The Conservation Commission of the Northern Territory.

Webb, G. J. W. & H. Messel. 1979. Wariness in Crocodylus porosus (Reptilia: Crocodilidae). Aust. Wildl. Res. 6: 227-234.

Yanosky, A. A. 1990. Histoire naturelle du Caiman à museau large (Caiman latirostris), un Alligatorinè mal connu (1). Rev. francaise Aquariol. 17:19-31.

Young, B. A., J. Adams, S. Segal & T. Kondrashova. 2018. Hemodynamics of tonic immobility in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) identified through Doppler ultrasonography. J. Comp. Physiol. (A). 204(11): 953-964.

Zug, G. R. 1974. Crocodilian galloping: an unique gait for reptiles. Copeia. 1974(2): 550-552.

Downloads

Published

2023-02-25

How to Cite

BORTEIRO, C.; GUTIÉRREZ, F.; TEDROS, M.; KOLENC, F.; MARTINS VERDADE, L. Capture methods of Caiman latirostris Daudin, 1802 (Crocodylia, Alligatoridae) in northern Uruguay, with notes of defensive and feeding behaviours. Revista de Biologia Neotropical / Journal of Neotropical Biology, Goiânia, v. 19, n. esp, p. 153–164, 2023. DOI: 10.5216/rbn.v19iesp.73832. Disponível em: https://revistas.ufg.br/RBN/article/view/73832. Acesso em: 23 nov. 2024.