Chocó Maki Bear
| Chocó Maki Bear | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chocó Makibär ( Bassaricyon medius ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Bassaricyon medius | ||||||||||||
| Thomas , 1909 |
The Chocó-Makibär ( Bassaricyon medius ) is a species of the Makibears ( Bassaricyon ) belonging to the small bears from northwestern South America and the eastern and central Panama. Two subspecies are distinguished, Bassaricyon medius medius in the South American part of the distribution area and Bassaricyon medius orinomus in Panama from the canal zone to Darién .
features
The Chocó Maki Bear is a medium-sized species of Maki Bear , smaller than the Central America Maki Bear ( Bassaricyon gabbii ) but larger than the Andean Maki Bear ( Bassaricyon neblina ). The body is slender with relatively short front legs and slightly longer rear legs. It reaches a body length of about 68 to 90 centimeters, with about 35 to 52 centimeters being accounted for by the tail. The tail length is 1.0 to 1.4 times the length of the head body. The body weight is 915 to 1200 grams. The feet are wide with curved claws, the hind feet are about 5.8 to 9.2 inches long. The ears are rounded, the ear length is 2.5 to 5.4 centimeters. The species is very similar to its sister species, the common Maki bear ( Bassaricyon alleni ), but has less dark hair tips in the back fur, which means that the fur of the Chocó Maki bear is slightly lighter than that of the common Maki bear. The skull is a little narrower and the muzzle a little longer. The tympanic membrane is less inflated and the fourth premolar is smaller. The nose of the Chocó Maki bear is dark, while that of the common Maki bear is often pink. Bassaricyon medius medius is much smaller than the common Makibear, while Bassaricyon medius orinomus is about the size of the common Makibear. B. m. orinomus often has a reddish tail, whereas the common Makibear has a relatively uniform body color. The genetic difference between the Chocó macibear and the common macibear, determined by DNA analysis of the genes of the protein cytochrome b , is 6 to 7%.
distribution
The Chocó-Makibär occurs in Colombia and Ecuador west of the Andes , as well as in some areas of the valley of the Río Cauca between the central and the western cordillera of the northern Andes, and in the east and in the center of Panama from sea level to an altitude of 1,800 meters . The western limit of the distribution area is not yet exactly known. It lies between 81 and 80 degrees west in central Panama. It is not yet known whether the Chocó Maki bear has contact with the Central American Maki bear ( Bassaricyon gabbii ), whether the species occur together in a small area or whether the distribution areas of the species are clearly separated.
Way of life and ecology
The Chocó-Makibär is solitary and tree-dwelling (arboreal). The nocturnal animals spend the day in tree hollows or other hiding places high in the trees. They feed primarily on fruits, often feed in the same trees as the wrapped bear ( Potos flavus ) and replace the smaller species in some areas. The Chocó Makibär usually gives birth to a single cub.
Systematics
As a recognized species, the Chocó Makibear is assigned to the Makibears of the genus Bessaricyon , which, according to the current state of knowledge, consists of four species. Two specimens of the species caught near Panama City were described by the French zoologist Joseph Huet in 1883 . The British zoologist Oldfield Thomas gave the species the current scientific name Bassaricyon medius in 1909 . The holotype came from western Colombia. The American zoologist Edward Alphonso Goldman described the Panamanian subspecies B. m in 1920 . orinomus . The species was later synonymous with the common Makibear ( B. alleni ) and only became a valid species again in 2013 in a revision of the Makibear genus.
Hazard and protection
The species is globally assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as "Least Concern" due to its relatively large distribution area and occurrence in numerous protected areas. Habitat loss through deforestation is seen as the main threat to individual populations.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e Kristofer M. Helgen , Miguel Pinto, Roland Kays, Lauren Helgen, Mirian Tsuchiya, Aleta Quinn, Don Wilson, Jesus Maldonado: Taxonomic revision of the olingos (Bassaricyon), with description of a new species, the Olinguito . ZooKeys 324 (2013): Special issue: 1-83. doi : 10.3897 / zookeys.324.5827
- ↑ Bassaricyon medius in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: slipway, K., Kays, R. Pinto, C. & Schipper, J., 2015. Accessed April 16, 2018th
