We (formerly Nashaway Trackers) are a group of loosely connected nature lovers who enjoy sharing our observations and discoveries about the fauna and flora of the northeastern US. Most of us are especially interested in mammal tracks and sign, but we also post about birds, insects, plants, etc.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Tropical Track
...For anyone who cares to do a bit of research and take a stab at what this is.
Belize has 5 cats: Jaguar, Puma, Margay, Jaguarundi, and Ocelot http://exoticbelize.com/junglebelize_jaguar1.html
Track sizes (at least in Guyana): Jaguar: 95 mm across Puma: 80 mm across Ocelot: front 60 mm, hind 50 mm Jaguarundi: 40 mm across Margay: front and hind 35 mm, arboreal
I thought it was either a large ocelot or small puma (same as cougar). It is larger than any of the measurements I could find for ocelot (whihc is about the size of a bobcat, maybe a bit smaller), but the absolute minimum for cougar.
Tracking in the jungle was an amazing experience. The plant diversity was overwhelming, and our guide was rattling off their names and medicinal uses. I wish I had taken notes, because I've forgotten all of it.
As you said, there are 5 wild felids in Belize. Interestingly, there is only one wild canid - the gray fox. And, since dogs are allowed to roam and breed freely, no one actually "walks" their dog. The dogs tend to stay close to the people who feed them, and since the country is so sparsely populated and huge tracts of undeveloped land are still intact, dogs (like the similarly freely roaming and breeding domestic cats )do not penetrate into the jungle. Or, rather, the few that do, soon become food for wildlife.
So, it is not common to find canid tracks in the jungle (we never saw any), while felid tracks are quite common. All of the cat tracks we saw appeared to be either ocelot or cougar. No jaguar tracks, unfortunately.
Yeah, the margay is fascinating - mostly arboreal, about the size of a house cat. Unlike other cats, it can partially rotate the hind feet while it runs down a tree head first, clinging like a squirrel.
Yes, Dan, you win the Belizean $10. I think it is worth about US $.05. Can you wait until I see you next, or should I drop it in the mail?
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Forgot an important piece of info: The Belizean $10 bill measures 2 and 3/4 inches in width.
ReplyDelete2 3/4" = 70 mm
ReplyDeleteBelize has 5 cats: Jaguar, Puma, Margay, Jaguarundi, and Ocelot
http://exoticbelize.com/junglebelize_jaguar1.html
Track sizes (at least in Guyana):
Jaguar: 95 mm across
Puma: 80 mm across
Ocelot: front 60 mm, hind 50 mm
Jaguarundi: 40 mm across
Margay: front and hind 35 mm, arboreal
http://www.iwokrama.org/mammals/guides/carn0.html
http://www.iwokrama.org/mammals/guides/carn1.html
Ocelot is common, the other four are rare. Margay only leave tracks in trees.
I'll guess Puma. Do I win the $10 bill?
I thought it was either a large ocelot or small puma (same as cougar). It is larger than any of the measurements I could find for ocelot (whihc is about the size of a bobcat, maybe a bit smaller), but the absolute minimum for cougar.
ReplyDeleteTracking in the jungle was an amazing experience. The plant diversity was overwhelming, and our guide was rattling off their names and medicinal uses. I wish I had taken notes, because I've forgotten all of it.
As you said, there are 5 wild felids in Belize. Interestingly, there is only one wild canid - the gray fox. And, since dogs are allowed to roam and breed freely, no one actually "walks" their dog. The dogs tend to stay close to the people who feed them, and since the country is so sparsely populated and huge tracts of undeveloped land are still intact, dogs (like the similarly freely roaming and breeding domestic cats )do not penetrate into the jungle. Or, rather, the few that do, soon become food for wildlife.
So, it is not common to find canid tracks in the jungle (we never saw any), while felid tracks are quite common. All of the cat tracks we saw appeared to be either ocelot or cougar. No jaguar tracks, unfortunately.
Yeah, the margay is fascinating - mostly arboreal, about the size of a house cat. Unlike other cats, it can partially rotate the hind feet while it runs down a tree head first, clinging like a squirrel.
Yes, Dan, you win the Belizean $10. I think it is worth about US $.05. Can you wait until I see you next, or should I drop it in the mail?