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Sequence of images showing the Mountain Caracara (Phalcoboenus megalopterus) preying on the Titicaca water frog (Telmatobius culeus). Photo credits: Alexander Almonte.

Sequence of images showing the Mountain Caracara (Phalcoboenus megalopterus) preying on the Titicaca water frog (Telmatobius culeus). Photo credits: Alexander Almonte.

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We document the first record of predation of the Titicaca water frog (Telmatobius culeus) by the mountain caracara (Phalcoboenus megalopterus), in the community of Perka Norte, Puno, Peru.

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Context 1
... of Perka Norte (15 49 0 25 00 S, 69 46 0 42 00 W, elevation 3818 masl) in the southern region of the city of Puno, Peru. We captured a series of photographs of this event from approximately 70 m away, using a Nikon D7200 with a NIKKOR 200-500 mm lens. Initially, we spotted the caracara standing on the shore in approximately 4 cm of water (Fig. 1a). The caracara caught the frog by the head underwater, with its beak, then retreated a few meters onto the shore and perched on a rock. For at least 1 min, the bird manipulated the frog in its beak, attempting to secure a better grip until the frog stopped moving (Fig. 1b). Subsequently, the bird dropped the frog to the ground and held ...
Context 2
... spotted the caracara standing on the shore in approximately 4 cm of water (Fig. 1a). The caracara caught the frog by the head underwater, with its beak, then retreated a few meters onto the shore and perched on a rock. For at least 1 min, the bird manipulated the frog in its beak, attempting to secure a better grip until the frog stopped moving (Fig. 1b). Subsequently, the bird dropped the frog to the ground and held it down with its feet. It pecked at the frog's belly, tearing off and consuming pieces of the amphibian's internal organs (Fig. 1c). Eventually, the bird became aware of our presence and moved a few meters away from us, toward the shore, and again seized the frog by the ...
Context 3
... and perched on a rock. For at least 1 min, the bird manipulated the frog in its beak, attempting to secure a better grip until the frog stopped moving (Fig. 1b). Subsequently, the bird dropped the frog to the ground and held it down with its feet. It pecked at the frog's belly, tearing off and consuming pieces of the amphibian's internal organs (Fig. 1c). Eventually, the bird became aware of our presence and moved a few meters away from us, toward the shore, and again seized the frog by the head with its beak (Fig. 1d). It then firmly grasped the frog with its feet and proceeded to consume its hind legs, forelegs, and head, leaving no remnants of the frog, before flying away (Fig. 1e, ...
Context 4
... the bird dropped the frog to the ground and held it down with its feet. It pecked at the frog's belly, tearing off and consuming pieces of the amphibian's internal organs (Fig. 1c). Eventually, the bird became aware of our presence and moved a few meters away from us, toward the shore, and again seized the frog by the head with its beak (Fig. 1d). It then firmly grasped the frog with its feet and proceeded to consume its hind legs, forelegs, and head, leaving no remnants of the frog, before flying away (Fig. 1e, f). The entire capture and consumption event lasted 2 ...
Context 5
... organs (Fig. 1c). Eventually, the bird became aware of our presence and moved a few meters away from us, toward the shore, and again seized the frog by the head with its beak (Fig. 1d). It then firmly grasped the frog with its feet and proceeded to consume its hind legs, forelegs, and head, leaving no remnants of the frog, before flying away (Fig. 1e, f). The entire capture and consumption event lasted 2 ...

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... The caracaras' generalist and opportunistic nature is highlighted in several articles describing caracara adaptations to and threats encountered in anthropogenic landscapes, including use of human-made structures as nest sites in urban areas (Galmes et al. 2024, Martínez-Miranzo et al. 2024, consumption of novel prey (Honig et al. 2024, Quispe et al. 2024, and causes of mortality , Orozco-Valor et al. 2024. Findings from these studies highlight the need for future research on caracaras to include a focus on human-caracara interactions. ...
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