Central American Maki Bear
| Central American Maki Bear | ||||||||||||
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Central American Makibär ( Bassaricyon gabbii ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Bassaricyon gabbii | ||||||||||||
| ( JA Allen , 1876) |
The Central America-Makibär ( Bassaricyon gabbii ), also northern olingo , Olingo or bush-tailed Olingo called, is a type of the small bear belonging bassaricyon ( Bassaricyon ) from Central America. The species is the best known species of Maki bear and is also seen relatively often by tourists in the Monteverde Biological Reserve and other protected areas in Costa Rica.
features
The Central American maki bear is the largest species of maci bear. The body is slender with relatively short front legs and slightly longer rear legs. It reaches a body length of about 78 to 97 centimeters, with about 40 to 52 centimeters being accounted for by the tail. The tail length is 0.9 to 1.2 times the length of the head body. Relative to the length of the head, the tail is thus shorter than that of the other three species of makibear. The body weight is 1.1 to 1.58 kilograms.
The fur is thick and soft. The body color is brown to gray-brown, rarely golden brown, with the belly side being a little lighter cream-colored, sometimes with an orange tinge. The fur is usually darker along the center line of the back and has a yellowish band that runs down the nape of the neck to the ears. The broad face is grayer than the body, the muzzle is short and pointed. The eyes are large with a cinnamon-colored iris and vertical, narrow pupils . The ears are rounded, the ear length is 2.5 to 4.4 centimeters.
The feet are wide with curved claws, the hind feet are about 6.5 to 10 centimeters long. In contrast to the coiled bear ( Potos flavus ), with which the slender bear is often confused, the tail is not within reach . It is slightly flattened dorsoventrally and can have 11 to 13 dark circles. The tip of the tail is bushy and hairy.
The skull is large and broad compared to that of other Makibears. The cheekbones , especially those of the males, are expansive. Older males develop a crest . The molars and the tympanic membrane are relatively small, smaller than those of Bassaricyon medius and Bassaricyon alleni . The canines, on the other hand, are larger than those of other Makibears.
The Central American Makibear can be easily distinguished from all other Makibears by its color. He is gray-brown and usually has a gray face, while the other Makibears are more brownish, sometimes with a reddish tinge.
distribution and habitat
The Central American Makibear occurs from northern Nicaragua via Costa Rica to the western Panamanian province of Chiriquí . There are also individual sightings from Honduras and Guatemala . It occurs mainly in evergreen rainforest areas and at forest edges. The altitude distribution ranges from sea level to altitudes of 2000 meters, with the main distribution being at altitudes of 1000 to 1700 meters. The eastern 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 Central American Makibear has contact with Bassaricyon medius there, whether the species occur together in a small area, whether there may be limited hybridization or whether the areas of distribution of the species are clearly separated.
Way of life and ecology
The Central American Makibear is primarily nocturnal and lives mainly in the higher areas of the forest in the leaves of the trees. According to some scientists, he avoids anthropogenically influenced areas, others describe a good adaptation to secondary forests and plantations .
nutrition
It feeds predominantly on fruits, especially figs , and can be seen very often in fruit- bearing trees. In addition, it is said to also prey on insects and small vertebrates, whereby Prange & Prange 2009 portray this as a rumor. There is a documented case of a slender bear in the Monteverde Biological Reserve , Costa Rica, who caught and killed a red squirrel ( Sciurus variegatoides ). Another slender bear is said to have regularly caught hummingbirds , and a third has been seen catching and eating a Mexican deer mouse ( Peromyscus mexicanus ).
In Panama, a total of 15 different food plants for the Central American macibear have been identified, and the nectar of the blossoms of the balsa tree ( Ochroma pyramidale ) is particularly important at the beginning of the dry season .
A strong competition for available resources, especially food plants and habitats, is assumed between the Central American maci bears and the coiled bear, which sometimes occurs in the same habitat . It is assumed that the wrapped bear, which occurs in a much larger area, is more competitive than the slender bear and accordingly displaces them into areas that have only limited resources.
Reproduction
The Central American Makibear usually gives birth to a single young after a gestation period of 2.5 months. The birth probably takes place at the beginning of the dry season.
Predators and parasites
Potential predators of the Central America-bassaricyon mainly include the Jaguarundi ( Herpailurus yaguarondi ), the ocelot ( Leopardus pardalis ) and large snakes. The Tayra ( Eira barbara ) could also capture them if they retreat into their burrows during the day.
Little information is available about parasites of the Central American Macibars. The parasites detected include the Leishmania Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania panamensis . Experimentally, the animals could not be infected with either Isospora arctopitheci or Toxoplasma gondii .
Systematics
As a recognized species, the Central American Makibear is assigned to the Makibears of the genus Bessaricyon , which, according to current knowledge, consists of four species.
Was named Bassaricyon gabbii by William M. Gabb , who caught the first specimen of this species scientifically described. No subspecies are currently recognized. In northern Nicaragua, the animals are said to have a slightly more reddish case than those in Costa Rica or western Panama. If this form is recognized as an independent subspecies, the name Bassaricyon g is used. richardsoni JA Allen, 1908 available. Under the names Bassaricyon lasius Harris, 1932 (Harris-Makibär) and Bassaricyon pauli Enders, 1936 (Chiriqui-Makibär), descriptions were published that differed only slightly from Bassaricyon gabbii in terms of coat color and hair length . The descriptions are based only on a single type specimen ( Bassaricyon pauli ) or the species is only known from its first place of description (Terra typica) near the source of the Rio Estrella in southern Cartago in Costa Rica ( Bassaricyon lasius ). Both forms are now considered synonymous with Bassaricyon gabbii .
Hazard and protection
The species is assessed globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as "Least Concern" due to its relatively large distribution area. The species occurs in a number of protected areas in its range and can adapt well to new living conditions even after a change in habitat. Habitat loss through deforestation is seen as the main threat to individual populations. The species is not hunted, but the young are caught locally and sold as pets.
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g h 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
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Suzanne Prange, Timothy J. Prange: Bassaricyon gabbii (Carnivora: Procyonidae) . In: Mammalian Species . tape 826 , 2009, p. 1-7 .
- ^ A b Mel E. Sunquist & Fiona C. Sunquist: Northern Olingo Bassaricyon gabbii , page 525 in Don E. Wilson , Russell A. Mittermeier : Handbook of the Mammals of the World - Volume 1 Carnivores. Lynx Editions, 2009, ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1
- ^ William P. Harris Jr .: Four new mammals from Costa Rica. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 248; Pp. 1-6. ( Full text )
- ↑ Bassaricyon gabbii in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: slipway, K., Kays, R. Pinto, C., González-Maya, JF & Schipper, J., 2015. Retrieved on April 16, 2018 .
