First records of ocelot in tropical forests of the Sierra Negra of Puebla and Sierra Mazateca de Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract

Ocelots are at risk of extinction despite being a wide distribution species. Its presence in Puebla has been recorded, and also the possibility of existence of biological corridor to southeastern Mexico. Part of that corridor is located in the Sierra Negra in Puebla and the Sierra Mazateca in Oaxaca, where there are not previous studies that prove the presence of the ocelot. The Sierra Negra of Puebla and Sierra Mazateca of Oaxaca are contiguous mountain ranges with a mosaic of vegetation that includes tall evergreen forest, cloud forest, rain-fed agriculture and cultivated grasslands. We placed 11-18 camera trap stations spaced every 1-3 km, within a 110 km2 polygon, over three sampling periods. We also applied semistructured interviews to locals to obtain information on wild felids occurrence. Twelve individual ocelots were recorded in the study area, 10 of them through cameras and six through interviews. Ocelots were photographed in fragmented areas near human settlements. The six remaining ocelots registered were four skins, one carcass and one captive animal. Ocelots have been previously documented in disturbed landscapes and near human settlements areas. We believe that there is a resident ocelot population in the study area, thus the Sierra Negra and the Sierra Mazateca are an important component of the proposed biological corridor of the Sierra Madre Oriental.