Bolivia

By Paul Carter. Revised 14 Nov 2024. Additions/revisions to the mammal list are expected.

SUMMARY
In Bolivia during May-June 2023 I saw +57 mammal species (as listed below) and 14 reptile species. Larger mammals included Chacoan Peccary, Jaguar, Puma, Ocelot, Tayra and Madidi Titi Monkey. Small mammal highlights include Foster’s Punare, Vargas Llosa’s Bristly Mouse and a roost of Lesser Bulldog Bat.
In southern Bolivia I was with Stuart Chapman and we used tour operator Nick’s Adventures for the main sites which included Jaguarland (a private ranch) and Kaa-Iya NP. In northern Bolivia I flew into Rurrenabaque and visited Sadiri Lodge and Las Tortugas Lodge.

Contents
A) Trip details and site reports
B)  Mammal list
C) Reptile list
D) Logistics
E) References

A.  TRIP DETAILS AND SITE REPORTS

Trip 1 (2023 May 17-31): Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Jaguarland and Kaa-Iya NP in the Santa Cruz Department; I was with Stuart Chapman on a private tour guided by Mauricio Peñaranda del Carpio and Nick McPhee (Nick’s Adventures).
Trip 2 (2023 June2-14): Sadiri Lodge and Las Tortugas Lodge in the Rurrenabaque area.

Sites and links to site reports:
SOUTHERN BOLIVIA
1 – Santa Cruz de la Sierra: 2 nights (17-19 May 2023).
2 – Santa Cruz de la Sierra Botanical Garden (SCBG): 4 hours (18 May 2023). Site REPORT.
3 – Jaguarland (Santa Cruz Dep.): 5 nights (19-24 May 2023). Site REPORT.
4 – Curiche La Madre Forest (Santa Cruz): 3 hours (24 May 2023).
5 – Kaa-Iya NP (Santa Cruz Dep.): 5 nights (26-31 May 2023). Site REPORT.
NORTHERN BOLIVIA
6 – La Paz: 1 night transit.
7 – Sadiri Lodge, Madidi NP (La Paz Dep.): 4 nights (2-6 June 2023). Site REPORT.
8 – Las Tortugas Lodge area, Yacuma River (Beni Dep): 2 nights (8-10 June). Site report in progress.
9 – Rurrenabaque (6-8 + 9-14 June): Caso do Campo guesthouse.

B.  MAMMAL LIST
This list includes bat audio records that were made using an “Echo Meter Touch 2 Pro” ultrasonic module and the Echo Meter app on the Neotropics regional setting noting that taxonomy in the app is not up to date and that audio records may not be definitive. I only show audio records where there was a sighting and the size, behaviour and habitat fit the audio ID. Refer to site reports for images.

  1. Gray Four-eyed Opossum (Philander opossum). Yacuma River.
  2. Western Amazonian Mouse Opossum (Marmosa macrotarsus). Sadiri.
  3. Chacoan Gracile Opossum (Cryptonanus chacoensis). Kaa-Iya.
  4. Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus). Jaguarland.
  5. Six-banded Armadillo (Euphractus sexcinctus). Jaguarland.
  6. Southern Three-banded Armadillo (Tolypeutes matacus). Kaa-Iya.
  7. Southern Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla). Jaguarland.
  8. Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus). Curiche + Jaguarland.
  9. Proboscis Bat (Rhynchonycteris naso). Yacuma River
  10. Thomas’s Sac-winged Bat (Balantiopteryx io). Jaguarland (AUDIO).
  11. Greater Sac-winged Bat (Saccopteryx bilineata). Jaguarland.
  12. Pallas’s Mastiff Bat (Molossus molossus). Santa Cruz (AUDIO)
  13. Silver-tipped Myotis (Myotis albescens). Jaguarland.
  14. Riparian Myotis (Myotis riparius). Jaguarland.
  15. Southern Hairy-legged Myotis (Myotis keaysi). Sadiri (AUDIO).
  16. Argentine Serotine (Eptesicus furinalis). Sadiri (AUDIO).
  17. Southern Red Bat (Lasiurus blossevillii). Jaguarland.
  18. Great Fruit-eating Bat (Artibeus lituratus). Jaguarland + Sadiri.
  19. Lesser Bulldog Bat (Noctilio albiventris). Jaguarland.
  20. Greater Bulldog Bat (Noctilio leporinus). Jaguarland.
  21. Jaguar (Panthera onca). Jaguarland + Kaa-Iya.
  22. Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis). Jaguarland.
  23. Puma (Puma concolor). Kaa-Iya.
  24. Jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi). Jaguarland + Kaa-Iya.
  25. Pampas Fox (Lycalopex gymnocerca). Yacuma River.
  26. Crab-eating Fox (Cerdocyon thous). Jaguarland + Kaa-Iya.
  27. Tayra (Eira barbara). Jaguarland.
  28. South American Coati (Nasua nasua). Jaguarland.
  29. Kinkajou (Potos flavus). Sadiri.
  30. Lowland Tapir (Tapirus terrestris). Jaguarland + Kaa-Iya.
  31. Chacoan Peccary (Catagonus wagneri). Kaa-Iya.
  32. Collared Peccary (Dicotyles tajacu). Jaguarland.
  33. Bolivian River Dolphin (Inia boliviensis). Jaguarland + Yacuma River.
  34. Marsh Deer (Blastocerus dichotomus). Jaguarland.
  35. Common Red Brocket (Mazama americana). Jaguarland + Kaa-Iya + Sadiri.
  36. Common Brown Brocket (Mazama gouazoubira). Jaguarland + Kaa-Iya.
  37. Common Tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis). SCBG + Kaa-Iya.
  38. Simon’s Spiny Rat (Proechimys simonsi). Sadiri.
  39. Mamore Arboreal Rice Rat (Oecomys mamorae). Sadiri. ID-Q
  40. White-bellied Arboreal Rice Rat (Oecomys bicolor). Yacuma River.
  41. Vargas Llosa’s Bristly Mouse (Neacomys vargasllosai). Sadiri.
  42. Bolivian Squirrel (Hadrosciurus ignitus (Sciurus ignitus). SCBG + Sadiri.
  43. Southern Amazon Red Squirrel (Hadrosciurus spadiceus / Sciurus spadiceus). SCBG + Sadiri area.
  44. Greater Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris). Jaguarland + Sadiri + Yacuma River.
  45. Brown Agouti (Dasyprocta variegata). Jaguarland + Kaa-Iya + Sadiri.
  46. Lowland Paca (Cuniculus paca). Sadiri.
  47. Foster’s Punare (Thrichomys fosteri). Kaa-Iya. Nascimento et al (2013) show the Punare in Bolivia as T. fosteri; iNat (2023) treats it as “Thrichomys pachyurus”.
  48. Madidi Titi Monkey (Plecturocebus aureipalatii). Sadiri area + Rurrenabaque area.
  49. White-eared Titi Monkey (Plecturocebus donacophilus). Curiche.
  50. Pale Titi Monkey (Plecturocebus pallescens). Kaa-Iya.
  51. Bolivian Red Howler Monkey (Alouatta sara). Jaguarland + Yacuma River.
  52. Black-and-gold Howler Monkey (Alouatta caraya): Yacuma River.
  53. Black Spider Monkey (Ateles chamek). Jaguarland.
  54. Azara’s Night Monkey (Aotus azarae). Jaguarland + Kaa-Iya + Sadiri + Yacuma River.
  55. Black-tailed Marmoset (Mico melanurus). SCBG + Kaa-Iya.
  56. Tufted Capuchin (Sapajus apella). Jaguarland + Sadiri + Yacuma River.
  57. Black-capped Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri boliviensis). Jaguarland + Yacuma River.

C.  REPTILE LIST
Reptiles seen whilst looking for mammals include the following:

  1. Neotropical Rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus). Kaa-Iya NP area.
  2. Common Lancehead (Bothrops atrox). Rurrenabaque.
  3. Black-necked Amazonian Coralsnake (Micrurus obscurus). Sadiri Lodge.
  4. Royal Ground Snake (Erythrolamprus reginae). Jaguarland.
  5. Yellow-bellied Liophis (Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus). Yacuma River.
  6. South American Sipo (Chironius multiventris). Yacuma River.
  7. Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger). Yacuma River.
  8. Yacare Caiman (Caiman yacare), AKA Southern Spectacled Caiman. Yacuma River.
  9. Gold Tegu (Tupinambis teguixin). Yacuma River.
  10. Black Lava Lizard (Tropidurid melanopleurus). Madidi NP + Rurrenabaque.
  11. Southern Turniptail Gecko (Thecadactylus solimoensis). Sadiri Lodge.
  12. Chaco Robust Gecko (Phyllopezus przewalskii). Kaa-Iya NP area.
  13. Yellow-headed Sideneck Turtle (Podocnemis unifilis), AKA yellow-spotted river turtle. Yacuma River.
  14. Geoffroy’s Side-necked Turtle (Phrynops geoffroanus). Yacuma River.

D.  LOGISTICS
We purchased Tigo SIM cards in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
For foreign travel advice to Bolivia refer to www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/bolivia.
In 2022-2024 there were various protests in Santa Cruz de la Sierra that disrupted traffic.

E. REFERENCES

  • D’Elía G, Myers P (2014). On Paraguayan Thrichomys (Hystricognathi: Echimyidae): the distinctiveness of Thrichomys fosteri Thomas, 1903. Therya 5(1):156-166.
  • 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.
  • Nascimento FF, Lazar A, Menezes AN, Durans AdM, Moreira JC, et al. (2013). The Role of Historical Barriers in the Diversification Processes in Open Vegetation Formations during the Miocene/Pliocene Using an Ancient Rodent Lineage as a Model. PLoS ONE 8(4):e61924.
  • Nick’s Adventures (2023). Kaa-Iya National Park. Webpage viewed 2023: https://www.nicksadventuresbolivia.com/tours/tours-by-destination/kaa-iya-national-park/
  • Patton JL, Pardinas UFJ, D’Elia G (eds.) (2015). Mammals of South America, Volume 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press.
  • 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.