Estudo de grupos de capivaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) com armadilhas fotográficas em uma área urbana nas margens do Rio Uberabinha em Uberlândia, Minas Gerais

Abstract

The study of the relationship between individuals of the same species, between distinct species and between them and the environment is important for the knowledge of the behavior animal species. Thus, the study of ecology helps to understand the dynamics of pathogens, vectors and hosts, allowing for the development of pathogen control measures, especially those transmitted to humans,. The capybara is the host and the amplifier of the infection rates of Rickettsia rickettsii, principal Spotted Fever agent of a highly lethal disease, in Amblyomma sculptum ticks populations. The growing of populations of this rodent in urban areas demands more detailed studies aimed the control of the vector tick and the public health. In this context the study of mammals with cameras trap is a low-cost option with a decreased interference in the environment and behavior of animals, allowing for records in pre-determined periods. In this work groups of capybaras were studied in the riparian forest of a sports and leisure enterprise with the use of camera traps for a period of 2 and a half years along a 1,000 m stretch on the banks of the Uberabinha River, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais. Thus, this study confirmed the presence of two small groups of capybaras (maximum number of four and 11 animals for each group) in relation to others in anthropized areas. This reduced number was attributed to the reduced carrying capacity of the area by restricting the capybaras to a narrow area of riparian forest. The number of individuals in each group varied in an apparently stochastic manner, perhaps due to the limits imposed by the vegetation on the trap´s recording view. An overlap in the use of the capybaras area by several other wild, synanthropic and domestic species was also observed. The most frequently recorded animals were capybaras, cats, skunks and birds with, respectively, 38.3%, 20.3%, 19.6% and 18.6% of the records. The rarest records were of a giant anteater, one a lowland paca and otters. Among the birds, pigeons were responsible for 30 to 36% of the records. In this context is a high mix of animal species of diverse origin were observed, some of them microorganism reservoirs or amplifiers of microorganisms such as Toxoplasma gondii, Rickettsia rickettsii, Cryptococcus neoformans and Rabie virus all relevant for public health and other hosts.