Does Moonlight affect the Use of Natural Licks by Lowland Tapir (Tapirus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758) in the Northeastern Brazilian Pantanal?

Igor Pfeifer Coelho; Luiz Flamarion B. Oliveira; Maria Elaine Oliveira

Articles

Vol. 17 No. 24 (2008)

Does Moonlight affect the Use of Natural Licks by Lowland Tapir (Tapirus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758) in the Northeastern Brazilian Pantanal?

Igor Pfeifer Coelho^▸^▾
Luiz Flamarion B. Oliveira^▸^▾
Maria Elaine Oliveira^▸^▾

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Submitted: 7 July 2025
Published: 2008-12-01

Abstract

We evaluated possible effects of moonlight on frequency of use of three natural licks by lowland tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) in the Brazilian Pantanal. Neither lunar phobia nor philia were detected. The frequency of use by tapirs (estimated by camera traps) during different classes of moonlight intensity varied between natural licks, but a similar frequency was observed across all moonlight classes when combining data across all licks. Further studies of activity patterns in lowland tapir in regards to moonlight intensities in other regions of the species’ distribution are needed to elucidate if the absence of lunar phobia/philia is a local or a general pattern for the species.

References

Bachega, I. 2004. Ecologia alimentar comparativa de três carnívoros simpátricos (Mammalia: Carnivora) na RPPN do SESC Pantanal, Barão de Melgaço, Mato Grosso. M.S. dissertation. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, UFMT, Cuiabá, Brazil.
Bodmer, R.E. 1990. Fruit patch size and frugivory in the lowland tapir Tapirus terrestris. Journal of Zoology 222 (1):121-128.
Coelho, I.P. 2006. Relações entre barreiros e a fauna de vertebrados no nordeste do Pantanal, Brasil. M.S. dissertation. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, UFRGS. Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Cordeiro, J.L.P. 2004. Estrutura e heterogeneidade da paisagem de uma Unidade de Conservação no nordeste do Pantanal (RPPN SESC Pantanal), Mato Grosso, Brasil: efeitos sobre a distribuição e densidade de antas (Tapirus terrestris) e de cervos-do-pantanal (Blastocerus dichotomus). PhD thesis. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, UFRGS. Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Emmons, L.H. & Feer, F. 1997. Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: A Field Guide. Second Edition.The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, U.S.A.
Farias, J.K.N.P. 2006. Sustentabilidade de populações humanas no Mato Grosso: subsídios através do manejo de ungulados silvestres. M.S. dissertation. PPG em Ciências Ambientais, Instituto de Geociências, UFF, Niterói, Brazil.
Fernandez-Duque, E. 2003. Influences of moonlight, ambient temperature, and food availability on the diurnal and nocturnal activity of owl monkeys (Aotus azarai). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 54:431-440.
Griffin, P.C., Griffin, S.C., Waroquiers, C., Mills, L.S. 2005. Mortality by the moonlight: predation risk and the snowshoe hare. Behavioral Ecology 16 (5):938-944.
Gursky, S. 2003. Lunar Philia in a Nocturnal Primate. International Journal of Primatology 24 (2):351-367.
Henry, O., Feer, F., Sabatier, D. 2000. Diet of the lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris L.) in French Guiana. Biotropica 32 (2):364-368.
Holdo, R.M., Dudley, J. P., McDowell, L.R. 2002. Geophagy in the African elephant in relation to availability of dietary sodium. Journal of Mammalogy 83:652-664.
Julien-Laferriere, D. 1997. The influence of moonlight on activity of woolly opossums (Caluromys philander). Journal of Mammalogy 78 (1):251-255.
Lang, A.B., Kalko, E.K.V., Römer, H., Bockholdt, C., Dechmann, D.K.N. 2006. Activity levels of bats and katydids in relation to the lunar cycle. Oecologia 146:659-666.
Leaver, L.A. 2004. Effects of food value, predation risk, and pilferage on the caching decisions of Dipodomys merriami. Behavioral Ecology 15 (5):729-734.
Lizcano, D.J., Cavelier, J. 2000. Daily and seasonal activity of the mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) in the Central Andes of Colombia. Journal of Zoology 252:429-435.
Meyer, C.F.J., Schwarz, C.J., Fahr, J. 2004. Activity patterns and habitat preferences of insectivorous bats in a West African forest-savanna mosaic. Journal of Tropical Ecology 20:397-407.

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Keywords

Tapirus terrestris
Activity patterns
Lunar
Moonlight
Pantanal

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Coelho, I. P., Oliveira, L. F. B., & Oliveira, M. E. (2008). Does Moonlight affect the Use of Natural Licks by Lowland Tapir (Tapirus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758) in the Northeastern Brazilian Pantanal?. Tapir Conservation, 17(24), 10-14. http://www.tapirconservation.org/index.php/tc/article/view/110

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[1] Bachega, I. 2004. Ecologia alimentar comparativa de três carnívoros simpátricos (Mammalia: Carnivora) na RPPN do SESC Pantanal, Barão de Melgaço, Mato Grosso. M.S. dissertation. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, UFMT, Cuiabá, Brazil.

[2] Bodmer, R.E. 1990. Fruit patch size and frugivory in the lowland tapir Tapirus terrestris. Journal of Zoology 222 (1):121-128.

[3] Coelho, I.P. 2006. Relações entre barreiros e a fauna de vertebrados no nordeste do Pantanal, Brasil. M.S. dissertation. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, UFRGS. Porto Alegre, Brazil.

[4] Cordeiro, J.L.P. 2004. Estrutura e heterogeneidade da paisagem de uma Unidade de Conservação no nordeste do Pantanal (RPPN SESC Pantanal), Mato Grosso, Brasil: efeitos sobre a distribuição e densidade de antas (Tapirus terrestris) e de cervos-do-pantanal (Blastocerus dichotomus). PhD thesis. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, UFRGS. Porto Alegre, Brazil.

[5] Emmons, L.H. & Feer, F. 1997. Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: A Field Guide. Second Edition.The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, U.S.A.

[6] Farias, J.K.N.P. 2006. Sustentabilidade de populações humanas no Mato Grosso: subsídios através do manejo de ungulados silvestres. M.S. dissertation. PPG em Ciências Ambientais, Instituto de Geociências, UFF, Niterói, Brazil.

[7] Fernandez-Duque, E. 2003. Influences of moonlight, ambient temperature, and food availability on the diurnal and nocturnal activity of owl monkeys (Aotus azarai). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 54:431-440.

[8] Griffin, P.C., Griffin, S.C., Waroquiers, C., Mills, L.S. 2005. Mortality by the moonlight: predation risk and the snowshoe hare. Behavioral Ecology 16 (5):938-944.

[9] Gursky, S. 2003. Lunar Philia in a Nocturnal Primate. International Journal of Primatology 24 (2):351-367.

[10] Henry, O., Feer, F., Sabatier, D. 2000. Diet of the lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris L.) in French Guiana. Biotropica 32 (2):364-368.

[11] Holdo, R.M., Dudley, J. P., McDowell, L.R. 2002. Geophagy in the African elephant in relation to availability of dietary sodium. Journal of Mammalogy 83:652-664.

[12] Julien-Laferriere, D. 1997. The influence of moonlight on activity of woolly opossums (Caluromys philander). Journal of Mammalogy 78 (1):251-255.

[13] Lang, A.B., Kalko, E.K.V., Römer, H., Bockholdt, C., Dechmann, D.K.N. 2006. Activity levels of bats and katydids in relation to the lunar cycle. Oecologia 146:659-666.

[14] Leaver, L.A. 2004. Effects of food value, predation risk, and pilferage on the caching decisions of Dipodomys merriami. Behavioral Ecology 15 (5):729-734.

[15] Lizcano, D.J., Cavelier, J. 2000. Daily and seasonal activity of the mountain tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) in the Central Andes of Colombia. Journal of Zoology 252:429-435.

[16] Meyer, C.F.J., Schwarz, C.J., Fahr, J. 2004. Activity patterns and habitat preferences of insectivorous bats in a West African forest-savanna mosaic. Journal of Tropical Ecology 20:397-407.