First documented predation of a Baird's tapir by a jaguar in the Calakmul region, Mexico

Abstract

To date, records of predation on Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii) by jaguars (Panthera onca) were an-ecdotal and did not allow for differentiation regarding whether the animal had been preyed upon or scavenged. Here, we present the first documented event of predation on a Baird's tapir by a jaguar in the Calakmul region, Campeche, Mexico. In August 2017, we observed a jaguar eating a juvenile female Baird's tapir; when we analysed the skull, we observed the characteristic "lethal bite" with which jaguars kill their prey by piercing the temporal and parietal bones with their canine teeth. Jaguars select to attack tapirs when they are most vulnerable (young or sick). Records of these type of events are important for understanding the food webs and ecology of these iconic Neotropical species that inhabit the Mesoamerican forests.

Full text

First documented predation of a Baird’s tapir by a
jaguar in the Calakmul region, Mexico
Jonathan Pérez-Flores1, Héctor Arias-Domínguez2, Nicolás Arias-Domínguez2
1 El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad de Chetumal, Avenida Centenario Km 5.5, Chetumal, Quintana
Roo, 77014, México
2 Ejido Nuevo Becal, Calakmul, Campeche, México
Corresponding author: Jonathan Pérez-Flores (johnspf77@yahoo.com.mx)
Academic editor: A. M. Leal-Zanchet|Received 29 July 2020|Accepted 29 September 2020|Published 9 October 2020
Citation: Pérez-Flores J, Arias-Domínguez H, Arias-Domínguez N (2020) First documented predation of a Baird’s
tapir by a jaguar in the Calakmul region, Mexico. Neotropical Biology and Conservation 15(4): 453–461. https://doi.
org/10.3897/neotropical.15.e57029
Abstract
To date, records of predation on Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii) by jaguars (Panthera onca) were an-
ecdotal and did not allow for dierentiation regarding whether the animal had been preyed upon or
scavenged. Here, we present the rst documented event of predation on a Baird’s tapir by a jaguar in
the Calakmul region, Campeche, Mexico. In August 2017, we observed a jaguar eating a juvenile fe-
male Baird’s tapir; when we analysed the skull, we observed the characteristic “lethal bite” with which
jaguars kill their prey by piercing the temporal and parietal bones with their canine teeth. Jaguars
select to attack tapirs when they are most vulnerable (young or sick). Records of these type of events
are important for understanding the food webs and ecology of these iconic Neotropical species that
inhabit the Mesoamerican forests.
Keywords
Greater Calakmul Region, keystone species, Panthera onca, prey-predator relationship, Tapirus bairdii,
trophic web
Neotropical Biology and Conservation
15(4): 453–461 (2020)
doi: 10.3897/neotropical.15.e57029
Copyright Jonathan Pérez-Flores et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms
of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
SHORT COMMUNICATION

Jonathan Pérez-Flores et al.454
Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii) is the largest terrestrial mammal in the forests of
Mesoamerica and has been categorized as endangered by the International Union
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (García et al. 2016). Baird’s tapir occurs from
southern Mexico to northern Colombia, inhabiting well conserved tropical rain-
forests, mountain cloud forests, swamp forests and coastal wetlands (Hershkovitz
1954; Nolasco et al. 2007). In Mexico, this species is still present in the states of
Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Veracruz (Naranjo 2019).
Baird’s tapir populations have declined in the last 40 years in approximately 50%
(Naranjo et al. 2015) due to illegal hunting, res, droughts, habitat loss and frag-
mentation (García et al. 2016).
Due to its large size (180–250cm body length), weight (150–300kg), strength
and fast movements, Baird’s tapir has few natural predators. Baird’s tapir primary
predators are humans, crocodilians (Crocodylus spp.), pumas (Puma concolor) and
jaguars (Panthera onca) (Eisenberg 1989; Matola 2002; March and Naranjo 2005;
Weckel et al. 2006; Naranjo 2009). However, in the case of predation by big cats,
most records are anecdotal and the few studies that have been conducted in other
species of tapirs have used classical techniques (e.g., scat analyses) that do not allow
to dierentiate whether the tapir was preyed upon or scavenged (Taber et al. 1997;
Garla et al. 2001; Astete et al. 2008; Cavalcanti and Gese 2010).
e Calakmul region hosts presumably the largest population of Baird’s tapir
(Naranjo 2009) and of jaguars (Ceballos et al. 2002) in Mexico. At Calakmul, tem-
poral activity and spatial distribution of tapirs and jaguars overlap, generating phys-
ical interactions (Pérez-Flores unpub. data). Both species are highly associated with
water bodies to cool down, drink water, defecate (tapirs) and nd prey (jaguars)
(Owen-Smith 1992; Pérez-Flores 2018). erefore, the encounter rates between
these species may be higher around small streams, lagoons or in the waterholes lo-
cally known as “aguadas”, which are the only source of water for wildlife consump-
tion in this region (O’Farrill et al. 2014).
On 24 August 2017, one of the authors (HAD) was exploring with his dogs
near a small stream called “El chorro” (18°35'57.32"N, 89°17'06.0"W), in the ejido
(communal shared land) Nuevo Becal in the municipality of Calakmul (Fig. 1). In
the distance (15m), he observed a jaguar eating a prey without being able to iden-
tify the species. Once the dogs detected the jaguar, they chased it away. On the way
to the prey he observed broken branches and vines, and tracks of prey dragging.
As he approached the prey, he noticed that it was a female juvenile Baird’s tapir of
approximately 150cm total length and weighing between 80–100kg (Fig. 2). e
tapir carcass was found in the right lateral recumbent position with the le forelimb
fractured, multiple scratches on the body, and was already being devoured through
the lateral and ventral part of the chest (Fig. 3A). In addition, some head wounds
and blood ow from the le ear were observed. e next day the tapir’s skull was
collected and taken to the Colegio de la Frontera Sur to be cleaned and analysed.
Once the skull was processed, we observed two perforations, one of irregular shape
located in the right parietal of 1.8×1.6cm above the squamous suture (Fig. 4A) and
the other was circular of 0.5cm located between the le parietal and the occipital

Baird’s tapir predated by jaguar in Calakmul 455
on the lambdoid suture (Fig. 4B). We also observed several marks of the fangs in the
parietal bones (Fig. 4C, D) and the right lacrimal bone fractured.
A few days later, we deployed a camera trap (Cuddeback Black Flash E3, Non-
Typical Inc., Green Bay, WI, USA, www.cuddeback.com) on the site to identify the
jaguar, and nally a month later we obtained two photographic records. e rst was
a jaguar passing by (27 September 2017) and the second was a jaguar with the remains
of a prey (29 September 2017). Unfortunately, we do not know if it is the same individ-
ual, but at least we recorded that jaguars are constantly hunting at this site (Fig. 5A, B).
Since 2008, we have observed several tapirs injured by jaguars; most of these
tapirs were adults and had a low body condition (Pérez-Flores unpub. data). e
health status and weight (between 100 to 120kg) of these tapirs inuence the deci-
sion of jaguars to attack them. Tapirs are able to escape from jaguars because they
have a large muscle mass, thick and hard skin around their neck, which is where
big cats usually grab and kill their prey (Medici 2010). Unfortunately, some injured
tapirs die of septicaemia a few days later as a result of the bacteria present in the
Figure 1. Location of the communal land (ejido) Nuevo Becal in the Calakmul region, Campeche,
Mexico, where the predation event was recorded.

Jonathan Pérez-Flores et al.456
Figure 2. Dead female juvenile Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii) found in the communal land (ejido)
Nuevo Becal in the Calakmul region, Campeche, Mexico.
mouth and claws of jaguars (Pérez-Flores pers. obs.). ere are about 200 species
of bacteria present in the oral cavity of domestic cats (Felis catus); some of them are
highly pathogenic (Dewhirst et al. 2015), so there could be many more in wild felids
due to their feeding habits (eat prey and scavenging). For these reasons, we suggest
that when Baird’s tapir remains are found in jaguars’ scats, it is most likely from eat-
ing carrion or preying on a calf or a juvenile tapir as in this case.
To our knowledge this is the rst documented event of predation of a Baird’s ta-
pir by a jaguar. is juvenile tapir exhibits the characteristic “lethal bite” of jaguars,

Baird’s tapir predated by jaguar in Calakmul 457
in which they directly pierce the skull through the parietal or temporal bones with
their canine teeth (Hejna 2010). Jaguars can bite with their canine teeth with a force
of 4,939 kN (503.57kg-force) (Hartstone-Rose et al. 2012), breaking bones and turtle
shells up to 2cm width (Schaller and Vasconcelos 1978, Emmons 1989). Apparently,
the marks of the fangs that we observed above both perforations are from jaguar’s at-
tempts to penetrate the bones. In this case, the bite was similar in size (1.8×1.6cm)
to that reported on other jaguar prey such as capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)
(Schaller and Vasconcelos 1978). e canine teeth penetrated the thinnest portion
of the right parietal bone (width=0.38cm) but could not completely penetrate the
base of the occipital which is wider (1.16cm).
Jaguars usually drag their prey to a thicket or other secluded spot (Schaller and
Vasconcelos 1978; Pérez-Flores 2018) at a distance as far as 1.5km (Pitman et al.
2002). We estimate that this tapir was dragged a few meters since the site was hidden
and is not frequently visited by people. Jaguars do not cover their prey with branch-
es, leaves and dirt as puma do (Silveira et al. 2008); this helps us to observe the car-
cass from a distance. e jaguar had begun to eat the tapir in a similar way to other
Figure 3. Female juvenile Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii) beginning to be eaten by a jaguar in a similar
way to other prey (A). Picture of the carcass of a sheep showing how a jaguar attacks and devours its
prey (B).

Jonathan Pérez-Flores et al.458
prey, rst the foreside and later the ribs and the chest (Fig. 3A, 3B) (deAlmeida
1976; Schaller and Vasconcelos 1978; Silveira et al. 2008).
Recently, Hayward et al. (2016) in an analysis of jaguar prey preferences found no
record of predation of Baird’s tapir. Other tapir species have been documented as prey
for jaguars, however they are not a primary food source (Polisar et al. 2003; Astete et
al. 2008). e largest number of predation records that exists is of the lowland tapir
(Tapirus terrestris) which occurs from Colombia to northern Argentina (Taber et al.
1997; Garla et al. 2001; Astete et al. 2008; Cavalcanti and Gese 2010; Medici 2010).
Probably, the higher population densities of T. terrestris (0.07–3.5 ind/km2) compared
to T. bairdii (0.03–2.9 ind/km2) (Naranjo 2019) causes a greater number of interactions
between tapirs and jaguars. In addition, the higher mean body mass (MBM) of jaguars
(MBM=83–105kg) and the smaller size of tapirs in South America (MBM=190–
230kg) inuence that there are more records of tapir predation. Male jaguars from
South America are estimated to have a MBM of 50kg heavier than those in Central
America (MBM=56.1kg), while females have a MBM of 35kg more (Central Amer-
ica MBM=41.4 kg) (Hoogesteijn and Mondol 1996). erefore, an adult Central
American jaguar will hardly prey on a healthy adult Baird’s tapir (MBM=200–220kg).
Tapirs and jaguars are indicators of healthy ecosystems (Medici 2010; de oisy
et al. 2016); both play a key ecological role, tapirs as seed predators and dispers-
ers (O’Farrill et al. 2013), and jaguars as apex predators that regulate the abun-
dance of their prey populations (Nuñez et al. 2000). Jaguars choose to attack the
most vulnerable tapirs, i.e. the young (< 1 year), senescent, sick or in poor physical
Figure 4. Right lateral view of the skull of the predated Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii) showing with the red
arrow the irregular perforation of the right parietal (1.8×1.6cm) above the squamous suture (A). Le later-
al view of the skull showing with the red arrow the circular perforation between the le parietal and the oc-
cipital on the lamboid suture (0.5cm) (B). Close-up of the perforation of the right side of the skull showing
the marks of the fangs (C). Close-up of the perforation of the le side showing the marks of the fangs (D).

Baird’s tapir predated by jaguar in Calakmul 459
condition. Little is known about the interaction of tapirs with their predators and
the eect they have on the dynamics of their populations. erefore, records of
these type of events are important to understand the food webs and ecology of these
iconic Neotropical species in the Greater Calakmul Region, an important biodiver-
sity hotspot for conservation.
Acknowledgements
We thank Evelio Uc Manrrero for sharing photographic records (Fig. 3B). We are
very grateful to Humberto Bahena-Basave for helping us with the artwork, and to
Sophie Calmé and David González-Solís for their invaluable help with this project.
e map was produced by Holger Weissenberger (ECOSUR, Chetumal). Special
thanks are due to the authorities of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve for their sup-
port in this research. We thank Adriana de los Santos for early comments on the
manuscript. JPF was supported by a scholarship granted by the Mexican govern-
ment through CONACYT (CONACyT 361517).
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