Nina Attias

Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) · Rising Wildlife Leaders initiative

In this study, we characterized the activity patterns and estimated the activity overlap between two armadillo species (Dasypus novemcinctus and Euphractus sexcinctus) in the Pantanal wetlands of Brazil. We report the effect of daily mean ambient temperature on activity onset and duration of these armadillos. We captured seven yellow armadillos and...

Restrictions on roaming Until the past century or so, the movement of wild animals was relatively unrestricted, and their travels contributed substantially to ecological processes. As humans have increasingly altered natural habitats, natural animal movements have been restricted. Tucker et al. examined GPS locations for more than 50 species. In ge...

The use of exotic species by man can generate diverse environmental and economic benefits. Nevertheless, when dealing with exotic species, it is necessary to take into account its complex relationship with human communities and natural ecosystems. As a backfire, exotic species can alter the properties of local ecosystems, causing economic and envir...

Basic knowledge of species biology and ecology is essential for the assessment of species conservation status and planning for efficient conservation strategies; however, this information is not always readily available. Here we use movement behavior to understand the ecology and social biology of the poorly known southern three-banded armadillo (T...

The giant armadillo Priodontes maximus is by far the largest of the 20 extant armadillo species with adults weighing well over 30 kg and measuring 1.50 m from the tip of the nose to the tip of their tail. Giant armadillos’ range over much of South America from Colombia and Venezuela south to Paraguay and Northern Argentina, but they are rare over t...

Ficha de avaliação do status de ameaça de tatu bola (Tolypeutes matacus) no Brasil.

Relationships between species and their habitat are strongly related to their feeding habits making its description essential for understanding the species’ biology and plan their conservation. This study describes the diet of giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), a specialist insectivorous mammal, and evaluates potential sex-related intraspec...

Trophic ecology has major implications for understanding species’ natural history and functional role in ecosystems. This type of information is key to define resource requirements and constraints for conservation planning, especially for threatened specialist species. Here we describe the items that compose the diet of giant armadillos (Priodontes...

Background Understanding how to connect habitat remnants to facilitate the movement of species is a critical task in an increasingly fragmented world impacted by human activities. The identification of dispersal routes and corridors through connectivity analysis requires measures of landscape resistance but there has been no consensus on how to cal...

Relationships between species and their habitat are strongly related to their feeding habits making its description essential for understanding the species’ biology and plan their conservation. This study describes the diet of giant anteaters ( Myrmecophaga tridactyla ), a specialist insectivorous mammal, and evaluates potential sex-related intrasp...

The Neotropical genera Tupinambis and Salvator are large heliothermic lizards belonging to the teiid family with a wide distribution throughout South America. However, two species of these genera (T. quadrilineatus and S. duseni) have more limited distributions, being endemic to the Cerrado savanna. Giant armadillos build burrows that are used by a...

Here we present two cases of albinism in giant anteaters from the same area in Central Brazil. The two juvenile individuals presented light-colored fur, unpigmented eyes, and pinkish skin around the eyes, ears, and snout tip. One of the individuals died before achieving adulthood. Given that albinism might affect individual behavior, survival, and...

COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020 reduced human mobility, providing an opportunity to disentangle its effects on animals from those of landscape modifications. Using GPS data, we compared movements and road avoidance of 2300 terrestrial mammals (43 species) during the lockdowns to the same period in 2019. Individual responses were variable with no c...

Background Understanding how to connect habitat remnants to facilitate the movement of species is a critical task in an increasingly fragmented world impacted by human activities. The identification of dispersal routes and corridors through connectivity analysis requires measures of landscape resistance but there has been no consensus on how to cal...

Mammals use thermoregulatory behavioural strategies to reduce the cost of physiological thermoregulation. Environmental temperatures should, therefore, impact their decisions. We investigated the effect of environmental temperature on the movement decisions of a large mammal with low capacity for physiological thermoregulation: the giant anteater,...

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is classified as a vulnerable species but is commonly received in rescue centers and zoos. Establishing hematological and biochemical reference intervals of free-ranging animals is an important tool to assess the health of both captive and wild populations. Reference values for 53 free-ranging giant ante...

Advances in biologging have increased the understanding of how animals interact with their environment, especially for cryptic species. For example, giant armadillos ( Priodontes maximus ) are the largest extant species of armadillo but are rarely encountered due to their fossorial and nocturnal behavior. Through the analysis of speed, turning angl...

Conservation of poorly known species is challenging as lack of knowledge on their specific requirements may hamper effective strategies. Here, by integrating biogeographical and landscape analyses, we show that informed actions can be delineated for species with limited presence-only data available. We combine species distribution and connectivity...

Animals moving through landscapes need to strike a balance between finding sufficient resources to grow and reproduce while minimizing encounters with predators. Because encounter rates are determined by the average distance over which directed motion persists, this trade-off should be apparent in individuals’ movement. Using GPS data from 1,396 in...

The Brazilian three-banded armadillo, Tolypeutes tricinctus is endemic to Northeastern Brazil and is classified as a Vulnerable (A2cd) species according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. During a study of wild carnivores at Fazenda Trijuncao, located at the intersection of the Minas Gerais, Goias and Bahia states, in Cerrado biome, one of...

Home range (HR) estimates are used to inform wildlife managers about protected area sizes and conservation policies. Ultimately, the HR of a sedentary animal is formed by the sum of multiple (mostly repetitive) daily movement modes. By fitting net squared displacement (NSD) models to daily animal locations, we can translate broad HR movement strate...

Previous studies have suggested species- and individual-specific morphologies of cephalic shields of three-banded armadillos (Tolypeutes spp.). Central cephalic scutes would form discrete lines; the first two posterior lines being composed of one scute (1-1) in Tolypeutes matacus and one followed by two scutes (1-2) in Tolypeutes tricinctus. Howeve...

Xenarthra contém duas ordens, seis famílias, 14 gêneros e 38 espécies viventes. A ordem Cingulata (tatus) representa 22 das espécies de xenartros e seis destas são encontradas no Pantanal (Dasypus novemcinctus, Cabassous tatouay, C. squamicaudis, Tolypeutes matacus, Euphractus sexcinctus e Priodontes maximus). Os tatus se diferem de outros mamífero...

Aim: Macroecological studies that require habitat suitability data for many species often derive this information from expert opinion. However, expert-based information is inherently subjective and thus prone to errors. The increasing availability of GPS tracking data offers opportunities to evaluate and supplement expert-based information with de...

O presente protocolo tem como objetivo descrever o fluxo de destinação de espécimes das espécies Tolypeutes tricinctus e Tolypeutes matacus (tatus-bola) provenientes de resgate, recebimento ou apreensão. Esse protocolo tem como público alvo as Secretarias de Meio Ambiente (estaduais e municipais), os Centros de Triagem de Animais Silvestres - CETAS...

Understanding of resource requirements of vulnerable species is key for conservation planning. Here, we used stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) of hair from giant armadillos (Priodontes maximus) to understand individual resource use. We collected hair from 19 giant armadillos analyzing 34 samples from the Brazilian Pantanal and compa...

Clustering is a ubiquitous task in ecological and environmental sciences and multiple methods have been developed for this purpose. Because these clustering methods typically require users to a priori specify the number of groups, the standard approach is to run the algorithm for different numbers of groups and then choose the optimal number using...

Knowing the influence of intrinsic and environmental traits on animals’ movement is a central interest of ecology and can aid to enhance management decisions. The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is a vulnerable mammal that presents low capacity for physiological thermoregulation and uses forests as thermal shelters. Here, we aim to provide...

The behavioral study of elusive species, which often cannot be directly observed in the wild, is based on the use of animal monitoring technologies. Here, we evaluate the performance of four methods applied simultaneously on a single population to detect and characterize the activity behavior of elusive species, using the giant armadillo Priodontes...

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), the largest representative of the xenarthrans, is listed as Vulnerable-IUCN. Their unique anatomy and physiological characteristics, such as relatively low basal metabolic rates, make xenarthrans challenging to anesthetize and equip with tracking devices. This study evaluates and describes physical capt...

Mammals can show conspicuous behavioral responses to thermal variation, including changes in movement patterns. We used an integrative approach to understand how environmental temperature can drive the movement behavior of a mammal with low capacity for physiological thermoregulation, the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). We tracked 52 gian...

The potential distribution of a cryptic, naturally rare large mammal, the giant armadillo Priodontes maximus, was explored in fragments of Cerrado and Atlantic Forest in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul (259,641 km²) Brazil. Watersheds (N = 344) throughout the state were surveyed for evidence of the species with 164 confirmed presences and 180 absen...

Resource selection provides essential information about species strategies to meet their biological requirements, and is key for conservation strategies development. Although intraspecific variation in behavior is widespread, most resource selection studies have ignored intrapopulation variability. We aim to understand if individuals have different...

Population density is a key parameter in conservation, but remains a challenging metric to obtain for rare and cryptic species. We designed a camera trap array targeting the elusive giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), estimated densities using spatially explicit capture-recapture models, and compared these with estimates from a previous eight-yea...

The anatomy and physiology of armadillos make anesthetic procedures and the placement of telemetry devices challenging. From June 2011 to November 2019, a total of 73 free-living armadillos were captured and anesthetized in the Pantanal, Brazil. Giant (Priodontes maximus), six-banded (Euphractus sexcinctus), southern naked-tailed (Cabassous unicinc...

Armadillos are specialist diggers and their burrows are used to find food, seek shelter and protect their pups. These burrows can also be shared with dozens of vertebrate and invertebrate species and; consequently, their parasites including the zoonotics. The aim of this study was to diagnose the presence of zoonotic parasites in four wild‐caught a...

The giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) is the largest living armadillo and is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Little is known about the species biology and especially its reproduction. However, data such as the age at sexual maturity are employed for estimation of a species generation length, which...

Accurately quantifying species’ area requirements is a prerequisite for effective area‐based conservation. This typically involves collecting tracking data on species of interest and then conducting home‐range analyses. Problematically, autocorrelation in tracking data can result in space needs being severely underestimated. Based on the previous w...

The giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) is the largest living armadillo. This naturally rare and poorly known species is endemic to South America and classified as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN. Here we explored aspects of the spatial ecology of P. maximus in Midwestern Brazil to gain insights on its ecology and biology to support conservation efforts....

Xenarthrans—anteaters, sloths, and armadillos—have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across...

Xenarthrans—anteaters, sloths, and armadillos—have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across...

Morphometrics is the quantitative study of organisms shape and size. Intrinsic (e.g. age and sex) and extrinsic (e.g. abiotic conditions) factors can be related to morphological diversity and can aid in the study of species biology and ecology. Giant armadillos have rarely been captured in the wild and very little is known about the species. Here w...

In this study, we aimed to evaluate how air temperature is related to variation in activity patterns and habitat selection by two species of tropical armadillos, which are imperfect homeotherms. Although their behaviour is little studied, armadillos provide valuable models for understanding how physiology affects mammalian behaviour in response to...

Critical contemporary ecological problems (e.g. predicting how animals might respond to habitat alteration or climate change) require factual knowledge on species biology and ecology. Biological characteristics and ecological functions of elusive burrowing species can be inferred through the study of spatial ecology. Furthermore, even though armadi...

Free-ranging yellow armadillos (Euphractus sexcinctus) from the Brazilian Pantanal were captured for surgical implantation of intra-abdominal radio transmitters. During March 2014, 11 animals were chemically immobilized with a combination of intramuscular ketamine hydrochloride, xylazine hydrochloride, midazolam maleate, and atropine sulfate. The m...

It is believed that the two species of Tolypeutes Illiger, 1811are the only armadillos that do not dig their own burrows, and that these species simply re-use burrows dug by other species. Here, we show that Tolypeutes matacus (Desmarest, 1804) and Tolypeutes tricinctus (Linnaeus, 1758) dig their own burrows. We describe the burrows and three other...

The Atlantic Forest is considered a hotspot due to its current state of vast degradation and high indexes of biodiversity. This biome has been degraded through the years by processes resulting from the Brazilian socioeconomic model of development. The seasonal semi-deciduous Atlantic Forest is a poorly studied phytophysiognomy specially degraded by...

Acácias Australianas no Brasil: Histórico, Formas de Uso e Potencial de Invasão RESUMO – Em diversos países, espécies do gênero Acacia, provenientes da Austrália, possuem um histórico consistente de introdução e invasão. No Brasil, estas espécies começaram a ser registradas em áreas adjacentes aos seus locais de introdução e, dada sua ampla utiliza...

The Atlantic Forest is recognized as a global hotspot for having one of the highest rates of endemism and biodiversity.Its portion in the state of Rio de Janeiro is extremely fragmented and reduced. The present study seeks to getinformation on the non-volant mammals of RPPN Rio das Pedras in municipality of Mangaratiba, state of Rio deJaneiro. The...

The spiny rats of the genus Trinomys Thomas, 1921 have a broad distribution in the Atlantic Forests of southeastern Brazil. However, some species are known only from their type locality and adjacent areas. In our study, nine areas in the state of Rio de Janeiro were surveyed and three species of the genus were captured – Trinomys dimidiatus (Günthe...

: Even after the devastation of large part of its forests, Rio de Janeiro State still harbors a rich terrestrial mammal fauna. However, information on the distribution and abundance of mammal species in the State is still scarce. This study aims to survey the mammals of the Desengano State Park, located on the northern part of Rio de Janeiro, one o...

Even after the devastation of large part of its forests, Rio de Janeiro State still harbors a rich terrestrial mammal fauna. However, information on the distribution and abundance of mammal species in the State is still scarce. This study aims to survey the mammals of the Desengano State Park, located on the northern part of Rio de Janeiro, one of...

The Atlantic Forest in the state of Rio de Janeiro is extremely fragmented and reduced in its originalextension. Although there are a great number of studies related to the biome, few lists are available for this region. Thepresent study seeks to get information on the mammals of a remnant forest in Serra da Concórdia, an area from whichno informat...