Abstract

GARCIA-GRAJALES, Jesús; GARCIA-GARCIA, Gary Abner; BUENROSTRO-SILVA, Alejandra  and  PABLO-CARRILLO, Erik. Use of natural waterholes by wild vertebrates in the central coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. Acta Zool. Mex [online]. 2024, vol.40, e4012680.  Epub Apr 04, 2025. ISSN 2448-8445.  https://doi.org/10.21829/azm.2024.4012680.

In tropical dry habitats, the dry season imposes harsh environmental conditions due to the water scarcity; moreover, due to orographic characteristics and topographic depressions of the Pacific Coastal Plain, there are areas with rainwater accumulation that are formed because their soil does not allow water drainage, these natural waterholes (NW) are therefore the main source of surface water in the region when water is scarce and high temperatures are frequent. This study aimed to investigate the use of NW by wild vertebrates in a tropical dry forest of the Communal Natural Protected Area (CNPA) El Gavilán, Oaxaca, Mexico. For this, eight NW were selected in the CNPA El Gavilán and they were at 715 m a.s.l. on average. Eight camera traps were placed at natural waterholes (one each per waterhole) during the dry season from November 2016 to May 2017. Moreover, activity patterns in natural waterholes were evaluated. Twenty-two species, belonging to three classes were recorded and birds were the group with the highest number (n=13) of species records. Nasua narica was the species most recorded in all NW, with two peaks of visits. Of the total number of NW, one of them (Venero Plátano Morado) showed the shortest latency time between visitors. Given the importance of these NW within the CNPA El Gavilán, our findings are of relevance due to the growing concern regarding the expected pronounced dry seasons on the coast of Oaxaca.

Keywords : activity patterns; birds; camera traps; carnivora; drought; photocaptures.

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