Cuauhtémoc Chávez

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at Metropolitan Autonomous University

Human-carnivore conflicts, arising from the predation of domestic animals, contribute to global declines in carnivore populations, primarily due to retaliatory and preventative killings. Understanding the contextual factors that commonly lead to such conflicts is crucial for developing policies and strategies that mitigate economic losses for indiv...

The Facial Action Coding System (FACS) is an anatomically based system to study facial expression in humans. Currently, it is recognized that nonhuman animals, particularly nonhuman primates, have an extensive facial ethogram that changes according to the context and affective state. The facial expression of great apes, the closest species to human...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255555.].

Protected areas are of paramount relevance to conserving wildlife and ecosystem contributions to people. Yet, their conservation success is increasingly threatened by human activities including habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and species overexploitation. Thus, understanding the underlying and proximate drivers of anthropogenic threats is...

Two species of similar size and trophic niche could not coexist in the same space and time unless the resources are diverse, abundant, and can be shared. In the Sierra Madre del Sur, Guerrero, Mexico, three felines of similar size coexist, Herpailurus yagouaroundi, Leopardus pardalis, and Leopardus wiedii. The objective of this research was to iden...

Este trabajo documenta el primer registro de anomalías cromáticas en el pecarí de collar (Pecari tajacu) y el tercero en el mapache (Procyon lotor) para México. Los hallazgos se realizaron durante el monitoreo realizado entre el 2009 y el 2021, utilizando cámaras-trampa, principalmente en la ecorregión de la Sierra Madre del Sur del estado de Guerr...

This paper documents the first record of chromatic anomalies in Collared Peccary (Pecari tajacu) and the third in the Raccoon (Procyon lotor) for Mexico. The findings were made during monitoring conducted between 2009 and 2021, using camera traps, primarily in the Sierra Madre del Sur ecoregion of the state of Guerrero, Mexico. Procyon lotor was re...

Jaguars and pumas are top-predator species in the Neotropics that are threatened by habitat destruction, illegal poaching of their body parts and their favored prey, and by the human–wildlife conflicts that arise when predators attack livestock. Much of the remaining felid habitat in the Americas is in protected nature reserves that are too small a...

El uso de la cola por parte de los marsupiales neotropicales para transporte de material vegetal ha sido poco documentado. Usando cámaras trampa instaladas en la Reserva de la Biosfera La Encrucijada, Chiapas, México, documentamos el uso de la cola prensil para el transporte de material vegetal en Philander opossum y Didelphis marsupialis. Estos re...

Human-wildlife impacts threaten large-felid persistence in the northern Yucatán Peninsula, triggered largely by livestock depredation. We aimed to explore knowledge and attitudes about local wildlife in relation to husbandry practices, hunting habits, and human-wildlife interactions, in three Maya Forest communities. A questionnaire survey of 30 lo...

Guerrero is one of the most diverse states of Mexico, containing a large number of endemic and endangered amphibian species. However, it is one of the less protected and studied states of the country. Here, we determined the potential distribution of all amphibian species in a risk category present in Guerrero and defined priority areas for amphibi...

El tráfico vehicular en carreteras se ha evidenciado como un factor de riesgo más para la fauna silvestre; las muertes por atropellamiento de individuos pueden tener impactos negativos directos a nivel poblacional, sobre todo para aquellas especies en peligro de extinción, como es el jaguar (Panthera onca). El objetivo de este documento es dar a co...

Resumen Las áreas naturales protegidas enfrentan diversos problemas que afectan la conservación de la vida silvestre. Uno de los más importantes es la presencia de animales introducidos, entre ellos los perros; los cuales se pueden encontrar en casi todas las regiones del mundo debido a su relación con los humanos. Estos pueden actuar como depredad...

Context Land use change, habitat loss and fragmentation are the major threats to jaguar conservation in Latin America. Here, we integrate the information of jaguar’s distribution to identify priority areas for its conservation. Objective We evaluated the effect of topographic, anthropogenic and landscape variables on habitat suitability to evaluat...

The jaguar (Panthera onca) is one of the most threatened carnivores in the Americas. Despite a long history of research on this charismatic species, to date there have been few systematic efforts to assess its population size and status in most countries across its distribution range. We present here the results of the two National Jaguar Surveys f...

Anthropogenic changes, such as land use and climate change, are the greatest threats to biodiversity, especially for amphibians, which are the most endangered vertebrate class worldwide. Species distribution modelling was applied to assess how expected future climate and land cover change scenarios might influence the geographic distribution and ha...

La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve (REBIEN) and Puerto Arista Estuarine System (SEPA) are natural protected areas and Ramsar sites in Chiapas, Mexico. In this study, we conducted an inventory of medium-sized and large mammals using camera trapping. We recorded 23 species in the REBIEN and 13 species in the SEPA. In addition, 35% of the species record...

Our objective was to identify suitable areas for ecological cattle production and conservation areas for jaguar and puma populations. We conducted the superpositioning of raster and vector maps and the reclassification from the combination of spatial and alphanumeric data integrated into an analytical geographic information system. The levels of ap...

Presentamos registros notables de puma (Puma concolor) en la Reserva de la Biósfera Sierra de Huautla (REBIOSH), Morelos, México obtenidos en fototrampeos hechos en 2019 en ejidos, dentro de esta reserva. Estas fotografías de puma se obtienen pocos años después del primer registro de jaguar (Panthera onca) para esta área natural protegida y para Mo...

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropica...

Modern and paleoclimate changes may have altered species dynamics by shifting species' niche suitability over space and time. We analyze whether the current genetic structure and isolation of the two large American felids, jaguar (Panthera onca) and puma (Puma concolor), are mediated by changes in climatic suitability and connection routes over mod...

Resumen La Sierra Madre del Sur de Guerrero, México, cuenta con paisajes variados y heterogéneos, que favorecen la presencia de una importante diversidad biológica. El objetivo de este trabajo es comparar diferentes atributos de la diversidad regional de mamíferos medianos y grandes en 8 paisajes con el uso de datos de fototrampeo, así como evaluar...

The biological ranges of the jaguar (Panthera onca) and puma (Puma concolor) overlap in the Yucatan Peninsula, corresponding to the most important population of jaguars in Mexico. The goal of this study in the El Eden Ecological Reserve (EER) was to investigate the factors that permit these two predators to coexist in the dense vegetation of medium...

Abstract Bat acoustic libraries are important tools that assemble echolocation calls to allow the comparison and discrimination to confirm species identifications. The Sonozotz project represents the first nation-wide library of bat echolocation calls for a megadiverse country. It was assembled following a standardized recording protocol that aimed...

Los Bosques Mesófilos de Montaña (BMM) son parte de la gran diversidad de comunidades vegetales que se desarrollan en México, albergan cerca de 10 % de la diversidad existente en el país, en 5 % del territorio nacional. Dentro de los BMM, Quercus es uno de los géneros arbóreos más representativos, abundantes e importantes por los servicios ecosisté...

The method presented in here allows for the unequivocal differentiation between non-invasive samples of ocelots and margays, when used in combination with the protocol by Roques et al. (Mol Ecol Resour 11:171–175, 2011). It reduced costs and laboratory processing, decreasing the chances of contamination, and therefore facilitating the identificatio...

The study was carried out in a median stature tropical forest in the north of Quintana Roo during 2008, 2010-2012, using camera traps to record activity and habitat use by jaguar and other vertebrates. Spatial and temporal variations in habitat use, activity patterns, and species associations were analyzed using a chi-squared test (x 2). Generalize...

The presence of greater grison (Galictis vittata), neotropical river otter (Lontra longicaudis) and co-ttontail (Sylvilagus sp) in La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve (enbire), in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, is confirmed by camera trapping. The presence of these records reflects the importance of the enbire, considered the only protected natural are...

Background Details of how, why and in what conditions large felids make scrapes is unknown. Here, we examined the general hypothesis about the use of scrapes for marking proposals, as well as to communicate with other individuals to signalize particular points or areas of interest, by studying scrape-marking behaviour of jaguars and pumas. Methods...

Position, sizes, and characteristics of sites where felid scrapes were found Raw data with the location, position and characteristics of felid scrapes found in five study areas from Brazil, Mexico and Belize. The characteristics of the path (on circular plots of 25 m diameter around the scrape) and the microsite (1 × 1 m plots around the scrape) wh...

Male puma scraping in Angatuba (Brazil) Male puma scraping in Angatuba (Brazil) in an intensive scraping point that covered a surface of 54 m2, where 39 scrapes were found in 2012. He was in scraping behaviour during 42 seconds and took 18 and 16 seconds in each scrape; he also deposited a small fecal substance after the first scrape.

Availability of different types of paths in surveyed areas Characteristic (type of vegetation, use, etc.) of paths surveyed in three study areas from Brazil, Mexico and Belize.

Diversity and activity patterns of medium and large mammals in La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve, Chiapas, Mexico. In Mexico, wetlands occupy an important portion of the country, among them, mangroves are particularly diverse. La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve (ENBIRE) is a coastal ecosystem of mangrove located along the Pacific Coastal Plain in the...

Worldwide big cats are atrisk of extinction, andanthropogenic factors and natural habitat disturbances represent thebiggest threats for their survival. It is essential to know the natural resources useby these predators and the way these big felids can adapt to changes. It is unknown how the puma (Puma concolor) selects and uses resources, what env...

Worldwide big cats are at risk of extinction, and anthropogenic factors and natural habitat disturbances represent the biggest threats for their survival. It is essential to know the natural resources use by these predators and the way these big felids can adapt to changes. It is unknown how the puma (Puma concolor) selects and uses resources, what...

Jaguar (Panthera onca) and puma (Puma concolor) diets in Quintana Roo, Mexico. A study was carried out for two years in Northwest Quintana Roo, México, using scat analysis to determine the diet and prey preferences of pumas and jaguars. Cat species and gender were determined using molecular techniques (rapid classificatory protocol: polymerise chai...

We documented the occurrence of Eira barbarain the municipalities of Tecpán de Galeana andPetatlán, state of Guerrero, Mexico. Our records represent a 450-km range expansion from the most recent northern occurrences of this species in the Mexican Pacific coast states

Activity patterns have been explained as one of the axes that allow the niche segregation, which helps explain the coexistence of species, researchers have overlooked the relevance of these and their effects on the community dynamics. At northern Quintana Roo, Mexico, activity patterns of jaguar (Panthera onca), puma (Puma concolor) and 18 potentia...

Gene flow among populations and subpopulations homogenizes allele frequencies. This mechanism is strongly influenced by species dispersal ability, frequently correlating genetic variation with distance among individuals, which is also known as an isolation-by-distance pattern. Species with high dispersal abilities are expected to show a limited iso...

Similar, coexisting species often segregate along the spatial ecological axis. Here, we examine if two top predators (jaguars and pumas) present different fine-scale habitat use in areas of coexistence, and discuss if the observed pattern can be explained by the risk of interference competition between them. Interference competition theory predicts...

Supporting information about the Study area and EVI indices. Description of the 12 study areas and characterisation of the functional properties of ecosystems measured with the Enhanced Vegetation Index around each site where jaguars and pumas were located. (PDF)

Mean values of EVI indices. Jaguars and puma mean±SE values for several EVI indices for 250 m cells in the different study areas included in the study. (PDF)

Location of the areas sampled. Areas of Latino America where faecal samples were collected for studying microhabitat segregation between jaguar and pumas between 2004 and 2012. 1 = Zapotal, 2 = El Eden, 3 = Ejido Petcacab, 4 = Ejido Caoba, 5 = Calakmul, 6 = Maracá Ecological Station, 7 = Viruá National Park, 8 = Uatumã Biological Reserve, 9 = Ducke...

Hedges’ d effect sizes. Absolute values of Hedges’ d effect sizes and their 95% confidence intervals of the comparison between values of several EVI indices in 250 m cells used by jaguars and pumas for each study area included in this study. (PDF)

Genealogical records of animals (studbook) are created to avoid reproduction between closely related individuals, which could cause inbreeding, particularly for such endangered species as the Panthera onca (Linnaeus, 1758). Jaguar is the largest felid in the Americas and is considered an important ecological key species. In Mexico, wild jaguar popu...

The Yucatán Peninsula contains some of the largest tracts of tropical forest in Mexico. These forests host six species of ungulates, including the largest and last survivor of the Neotropical megafauna, the Central American Tapir; one of the rarest ungulate species in Mexico, the White-lipped Peccary; and one endemic species of deer, the Gray Brock...

Over the past century, human activities and their side effects have significantly threatened both ecosystems and resident species. Nevertheless, the genetic patterns of large felids that depend heavily on large and well-conserved continuous habitat remain poorly studied. Using the largest-ever contemporary genetic survey of wild jaguars (Panthera o...

Wildlife density estimates provide an idea of the current state of populations, and in some cases, reflect the conservation status of ecosystems, essential aspects for effective management actions. In Mexico, several regions have been identified as high priority areas for the conservation of species that have some level of risk, like the Yucatan Pe...

Wildlife density estimates provide an idea of the current state of populations, and in some cases, reflect the conservation status of ecosystems, essential aspects for effective management actions. In Mexico, several regions have been identified as high priority areas for the conservation of species that have some level of risk, like the Yucatan Pe...

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease and parasitic zoonosis that occurs worldwide (i.e., Latin America, Africa and Eurasian countries; Desjeux 2005, Dahroug et al. 2010, 2011, Otranto et al. 2013). It is caused by parasitic kinetoplastids of the Leishmania genus transmitted by arthropod vectors (i.e. sandflies such as Lutzomyia spp.) and present...

Resumen. En este trabajo presentamos una lista actualizada de los mamíferos del Estado de México. Reportamos a 118 especies, de las cuales 11 son nuevos registros para el estado y 26 (22%) son endémicas de México. La mayoría de las especies son murciélagos y ratones, y de masa corporal pequeña. El tipo de vegetación con un mayor número de especies...

During May 2009—June 2010, we obtained five photographs of different margays (Leopardus wiedii) and photographs of two different bobcats (Lynx rufus) in tropical dry forests at Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de Huautla, Morelos, Mexico. These are the first confirmed records of the margay in Morelos and of the bobcat in the reserve. Records of the ma...

Faeces provide relevant biological information which includes, with the application of genetic techniques, the sex and identity of individuals that defecated, thus providing potentially useful data on the behaviour and ecology of individuals, as well as the dynamics and structure of populations. This paper presents estimates of the sex ratio of dif...

Hurricanes are common disturbances in the Caribbean, but their effect on carnivores is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the occurrence and relative abundance of carnivores in relation with vegetation damage 18 months after Hurricane Dean (2007) hit the Yucatan Peninsula. Using camera–trapping, 4 sites showing different intensiti...

Resumenes del I Simposio ecología y conservación de pequeños carnívoros (Felidae, Mustelidae, Procyonidae y Mephitidae) en Mesoamérica.

Faeces similarity among sympatric felid species has generally hampered their use in distributional, demographic and dietary studies. Here, we present a new and simple approach based on a set of species-specific primers, for the unambiguous identification of faeces from sympatric neotropical felids (i.e. puma, jaguar, jaguarundi and ocelot/ margay)....

Road-induced habitat fragmentation is one of the greatest threats to large carnivores. Wildlife passes have been used to reduce fragmentation by mitigating the effects of roads as barriers to animal movement. However, direct observations of animals crossing roads are extremely rare and thus indirect methods are necessary to locate crossings. Yet, c...

Resumen: La ardilla roja mexicana (Sciurus aureogaster), aunque es una especie nativa del centro de México, fue introducida en los Viveros de Coyoacán a mediados del siglo XX y desde entonces ha ido habituándose a la presencia humana. En este trabajo estimamos la densidad poblacional de ardillas grises en los Viveros de Coyoacán, describimos sus pa...

a b s t r a c t Competition for mates, cub rearing, and other behaviors differ between males and females in large car-nivores. Although these differences can be reflected in patterns of habitat use, gender has rarely been incorporated into habitat models. We evaluated differences in habitat use between male and female jag-uars in the Mayan Forest o...

We studied the influence of habitat loss and fragmentation in species diversity, population dynamics, and habitat use in a small mammal community in xeric palo loco (Senecio praecox) thickets at Reserva Ecologica del Pedregal de San Angel, a completely isolated nature reserve in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, from 1989 through 1990. It is a heterog...

Resumen: Las Selvas Mayas de la Península de Yucatán, México, mantienen una de las poblaciones más importantes de jaguar (Panthera onca) al norte de su distribución. Sin embargo, la región está sujeta a grandes cambios en su cobertura forestal debido al desarrollo humano y agropecuario de los últimos años. Esto ha ocasionado una reducción en el háb...

Resumen: En noviembre de 2006 se utilizó un prototipo de cámara de video, en la reserva privada El Zapotal, en la porción noreste de la Península de Yucatán, y obtuvimos la filmación de una pareja de jaguares en actitud de apareamiento. Esta filmación representa una de las primeras experiencias de su tipo, y ha proporcionado información única sobre...

El presente trabajo es el resultado del 2° Simposio El Jaguar Mexicano en el Siglo XXI: Taller de Análisis de la Viabilidad de Poblaciones y del Hábitat llevado a cabo en el Club de Golf de Cuernavaca, Morelos, México, del 21 al 24 de noviembre, 2006. México es un reducto importante para del jaguar (Panthera onca), pero la continua pérdida del hábi...

Una tarea fundamental en la conservación de especies en riesgo de extinción es determinar las áreas prioritarias para la conservación de la especie. En años recientes se ha hecho un esfuerzo considerable para desarrollar métodos de selección de áreas prioritarias para la conservación, que se basan en factores como la presencia de poblaciones y el h...

La Península de Yucatán mantiene una alta diversidad, una alta diversidad biologica, que incluye un número considerable de especies endémicas y una gran diversidad de ecosistemas tales como selva alta, selva mediana, selva baja, selva baja inundable (akalchés) y sabanas (Flores-Villela y Jeréz, 1994). La parte norte y nordeste de la península compr...

Palabras clave: Estado de México, registros, murciélagos, roedores, Myotis carteri.Key words: State of Mexico, records, bats, rodents, Myotis carteri.

Resumen: Las selvas bajas y medianas tropicales del oeste de México presentan características estructurales y fenológicas contrastantes, que se traducen en diferencias notables en la diversidad de especies de muchos grupos de plantas y animales. A pesar de que los murciélagos juegan un papel muy importante en la estructura y función de esas selvas...