Jaguarland mammal records (Bolivia, 2023)

SUMMARY: On a four-night mammal-watching trip (2023 May 20-24) with Stuart Chapman to Jaguarland (eastern Bolivia) we saw 29 mammal species, plus at least five with tentative identification; and 4 reptile species. Highlights were Jaguar (a mating pair and singles), Jaguarundi, Tayra, Six-banded Armadillo and a tree-roost of Lesser Bulldog Bat. Our guide was Mauricio Peñaranda del Carpio from Nick’s Adventures.

Paul Carter – paulcarter@pacapix.com
Posted: Version 1 – 2024 Nov 15. Version 2 – 2024 Nov 21. Version 3 – 2024 Dec16.
Links to other Bolivian site reports can be found at my Bolivia page.

Contents
A) Mammal records
B) Mammal images
C) Reptile records
D) Bird records
E) Site information and logistics
F) References

Abbreviations: Ph – Photographed. NP – Not photographed. Times are shown in 24-hour format from 0000h to 2359h e.g. 3:49 PM written as “1549h”.

A.  MAMMAL RECORDS
Images are shown in the next section. For bat records with AUDIO identification, I used an “Echo Meter Touch 2 Pro” ultrasonic module and the Echo Meter app; noting that taxonomy in the app is not current. I only show audio records where I see the bat and where the size, behaviour and habitat fit the audio ID.

1. Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus).
2. Six-banded Armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus). I saw once; SC saw at least two.
3. Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla). PH. Seen on the entry road to the farm. Image below.
4. Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus).
5. Thomas’s Sac-winged Bat (Balantiopteryx io). NP. AUDIO.
6. Greater Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx bilineata).
7. Southern Red Bat (Lasiurus blossevillii). NP. A few seen buzzing insects at the car’s headlights. Very large. AUDIO ID as Eastern Red Bat (but that is split).
8. Lesser Bulldog Bat (Noctilio albiventris). Seen exiting a tree roost (May 23 1832h), measured. Image below.
9. Greater Bulldog Bat (Noctilio leporinus). Seen in flight at the channels. Large.
10. Jaguar (Panthera onca). PH. One pair seen mating; and two other individuals. Images below.
11. Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis). Three seen.
12. Jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi). One seen.
13. Crab-eating Fox (Cerdocyon thous). Common.
14. Tayra (Eira barbara). One seen by SC and PC; another seen only by Mauricio.
15. South American Coati (Nasua nasua). NP (good views but camera failure).
16. Lowland Tapir (Tapirus terrestris). PH.
17. Collared Peccary (Dicotyles tajacu). PH. Common.
18. Bolivian River Dolphin (Inia boliviensis). PH.
19. Marsh Deer (Blastocerus dichotomus). PH. Common.
20. Common Red Brocket (Mazama americana). PH.
21. Common Brown Brocket (Mazama gouazoubira). PH.
22. Greater Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris). PH. Common.
23. Brazilian Guinea Pig (Cavia aperea). NP. May 22 1840h. PC only.
24. Brown Agouti (Dasyprocta variegata). PH. Common.
25. Bolivian Red Howler Monkey (Alouatta sara). PH. Image below.
26. Black Spider Monkey (Ateles chamek). PH. Only one seen. Image below.
27. Azara’s Night Monkey (Aotus azarae). PH.
28. Tufted Capuchin (Sapajus apella). Near its southern limits. AKA “Brown Capuchin”.
29. Black-capped Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri boliviensis).

Records with tentative identification:
Q1 – Silver-tipped Myotis (Myotis albescens). In the camp shed (21 May 1252h), measured, and AUDIO. TENTATIVE ID.
Q2 – Riparian Myotis (Myotis riparius). AUDIO at shed. TENTATIVE ID.
Q3 – Common Black Myotis (Myotis nigricans). May 23, 1132h, in the camp shed, measured. Also AUDIO on May 21, 2114h.
Q4 – Oligoryzomys sp ? Track edge in flooded grass. May 19, 1902h. Three images at iNat post; 2 images below. GENUS LEVEL ID.

Q5 – Sigmodontinae sp. 2023 May 20 1842h. One image at iNat post and below. SUBFAMILY LEVEL ID.

Q6 – Sigmodontinae sp. 2023 May 21 2003h. SUBFAMILY LEVEL ID. Six images and measurements at iNat post; one image below.

Q7 – Sigmodontinae sp. 2023 May 22 1013h. Same species as Q4.

B. MAMMAL IMAGES

#3 – Southern Tamandua

#8 – Lesser Bulldog Bat

#10 – Jaguar

#18 – Bolivian River Dolphin

#19 – Marsh Deer

#25 – Bolivian Red Howler Monkey

#26 – Black Spider Monkey

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C.  REPTILE RECORDS

1. Yacare Caiman (Caiman yacare). PH. Common.
2. Argentine Black-and-white Tegu (Salvator merianae). NP.
3. Giant Ameiva (Ameiva ameiva). PH. At the camp. iNat post.
4. Royal Ground Snake (Erythrolamprus reginae). PH. At the camp. iNat post.

D.  BIRD RECORDS
Birds photographed included:
Paint-billed Crake (Mustelirallus erythrops). Only one previous post on iNat for Bolivia. iNat post.
Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia). Resident at the camp. Image below.

E.  SITE INFORMATION AND LOGISTICS

Trip information: We visited over 20-24 May 2023. I was travelling with Stuart Chapman on a tour organized by Nick McPhee of Nick’s Adventures. This section to La Moneda Farm (Jaguarland) was led by Mauricio Peñaranda del Carpio (biologist turned guide). Natalie was the cook. Stuart’s report on the full Bolivia tour is posted here on mammalwatching.com.
Site info: “Jaguarland” refers to a private estancia (farm) in the Santa Cruz department. Nick McPhee and his company (Nick’s Adventures) have exclusive rights for wildlife visits; because of this arrangement I have not provided location details but it is a half-day drive north of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. For my iNat post coordinates I used -16.22087 / -63.5912 (accuracy 35 km). You can contact Nick’s Adventures directly for any queries on visiting. Mauricio also did all the driving, using his Nissan Patrol. 4-WD was essential for these unpaved farm roads which after the rains were extremely muddy and sometimes a few feet deep in water. The main crops are soy and maize with the field separated by narrow strips of forest. We stayed in tents at a simple farmhouse where livestock was raised only for consumption by the main estate. Facilities were basic and the tents used were under cover. Cell wifi was sometimes available only from within meters of a marker post next to the shed.
Equipment: Images were taken with a backup Nikon Z50 after a shutter failure in my Nikon Z7.

F. REFERENCES

• Emmons L (1997). Neotropical rainforest mammals: a field guide (Second edition). Text by LH Emmons, Illustrations by F Feer. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA. ISBN 0-226-20721-8 (paperback).
• Lynx Edicions (2020 Feb / 2020c). Lynx Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the Southern Cone: Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.
• MDD-1/10:  Mammal Diversity Database (2022 Dec 3). Mammal Diversity Database (Version 1.10) [Data set]. Zenodo. Published 3 Dec 2022.
• MDD-1/12: Mammal Diversity Database (2024 Jan 5). Mammal Diversity Database (Version 1.12) [Data set]. Zenodo. Published 2024 Jan 5.
• Teta P, Reyes-Amaya N (2021 Oct 15). Uncovering species boundaries through qualitative and quantitative morphology in the genus Dasyprocta (Rodentia, Caviomorpha), with emphasis in D. punctata and D. variegata. Journal of Mammalogy 102(6):1548–1563.

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