Mammals of Belize

What is a mammal?

- Fur (pelage)

- Mammary glands

- 3 inner ear ossicles (bones)

Do you think the mammals in Belize will be the same as the mammals in WV/V?

Why?/Why not?

- No cold season, but dry season

- Fruit everywhere

- Dense canopy very little light reaches ground ……..

Most of the vegetation (food/cover) is in the canopy so that is where you will find most of the mammals

If there are spp. of mammals in WV that are also found in Belize what characteristics would they likely exhibit?

- arboreal (at least partially)

- dietary generalists (omnivores)

Virginia Opossum

Didelphis virginiana

www.terrambiente.org/.../metatheria/ didelphimorphia/ filin.km.ru/mammels/ opossum.htm

Local Name: Possum

Semi-arboreal Omnivores – eat pretty much anything that they can get in their mouths

Gray Fox – Urocyon cinereoargenteus

“tree fox” is distributed from Canada to Venezuela

Mostly nocturnal and crepuscular

Opportunistic hunters

Raccoon Procyon lotor

The tail is bushy with alternating dark and light bands, a characteristic which distinguishes the raccoon from all other mammals

Tropics (rainforest) - Highest diversity of mammals in the world

-Approximately 150 spp. of mammals in Belize/northern Guatemala

-Roughly half are bats

When you think about a rainforest (jungle) what animals come to mind?......

Monkeys

CITES endangered species

Order: Primates

Important seed dispersal agents

Yucatan Black Howler-Monkey Alouatta pigra

Troops of 4-10 – lowland evergreen forests

Known as the “baboon” in Belize

Noisiest animal in the Belize jungle

Central-American

Spider Monkey Ateles geoffroyi

Occupy small branches of the high strata

Troops of up to 100

Need undisturbed tracks of forest

Bats: order Chiroptera

Bats are either carnivorous (insects) or fruit/nectar eaters

Lesser White-lined Bat

Saccipteryx leptura

Often found roosting in or near human habitations

www.batcon.org/home/brazil2001/ batlist.html

www.guidedculturaltours.com/ barbados.php

Fishing Bat

Noctilio leporinus

Adapted for catching fish

Local Name: Greater Bulldog Bat

www.thorns.com.br/HTM_FotosGeral/ FotosMorcegos.htm

www.conservationcentre.org/ scase10.html

Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat

Atribeus jamaicensis

www.edomexico.gob.mx/se/BIO_INTERNET/ fauna_c.html

www.biologie.uni-ulm.de/bio3/ mtschapka/bats.html

Brown Long-tongued Bat

Glossophaga commissarisi

Local Name: Commissaris’ Long-tongued Bat

www.batcon.org/avscripts/ script11.html

Order Carnivora:

Meat eaters

Family Felidae:

All species of wild felid are listed as at least species of concern by CITES

Jaguaroundi - Herpailurus yagouaroundi

Sometimes known as an otter cat – Semi- aquatic environments – diurnal and more common in disturbed areas

Ocelot -Leopardus pardalis

found in forested areas but is at risk from hunting for its fur and trapping for the pet trade.

Margay – Leopardus weidii

Long Tailed Spotted Cat, similar to the Ocelot - body smaller has longer legs and tail

Semi-arboreal, has specially adapted rear claws and ankle joints which can move through 180 degrees

Puma - Felis concolor

Most widely distributed felid in western hemisphere.

Diet varies from small mammals to deer and tapir

Jaguar – Panthera onca

Largest terrestrial predator in Central/South America.

Often confused w/ Leopard

Jaguar has no natural predators

Weasel family

Family Mustelidae

Tayra - Eira barbara

Long, slender body has short limbs and a long tail

Diet – fruit, insects, small mammals

Diurnal

Grison – Galictis vittata

Burrowing and terrestrial

Feeds on small mammals, reptiles, invertebrates

Family Prcyonidae

Raccoons and related critters

Kinkajou – Potos flavus “night walker” in Belize

One of the most commonly seen tropical forest animals

Arboreal and nocturnal

Primarily eats fruit

Ringtail – Bassariscus sumichrasti

Also known as the Ringtail Cat, Cacomistle, or Miner's Cat

Nocturnal and shy - rarely seen

Smaller than a house cat

Coati – Nasua narica

Also known as the White-nosed Coati

Locally in Belize, the coati is known as "quash"

Often is seen in large groups of up to 30 individuals

Order artiodactyla

Even-toed ungulates – Deer, cows, antelope, etc.

Family Cervidae

Red Brocket –Mazama americana

Active during both the day and the night and are usually solitary

Found in thick forest where there is dense undergrowth

White-tailed Deer- Odecoileus virginianus

Collared Peccary Tayassu tajacu

A piglike animal (although they are not pigs) resembling a razorback hog, but with heavier neck and shoulders

Feed on fruits, seeds, roots, vegetable matter, invertebrates

social

Order Perissodactyla

Odd-toed ungulates

rhinos, equids, tapirs

Baird’s Tapir – Tapirus bairdii

Status: Endangered – heavily hunted

Avoid human disturbance

Good hill climbers, runners, sliders, waders, divers, swimmers

Order Rodentia

Most diverse order of mammals

Primary consumers in most ecosystems

Seldom seen considering their prevalence….why?

Forest Spiny Pocket Mouse – Heteromys desmerastanius

Often seen foraging on the ground at night in wet forests

Can also be found in areas of secondary growth or seasonally dry forest

Vesper Rat Nictomys sumichrasti

The eyes are large, and the hind feet are modified for nocturnal arboreal life

Hispid Cotton Rat Sigmodon hispidus

Preferred habitat consists of grassy fields, brushy pastures, ditches, marshes, and along the brushy borders of cultivated fields

Mexican Porcupine – Coendou mexicanus

Large, furry rodent with characteristic yellowish spines or quills covering its back and tail

Different genus than our porcupine, prehensile tail

Paca - Agouti paca

forested habitats near water

Upper body is dark brown or black and usually has 4 longitudinal rows of white spots on the sides

Solitary and little interaction occurs between individuals

Central American Agouti – Dasyprocta punctata

male sprays female with urine, which causes her to go into a "frenzy dance." After several sprays she allows the male to approach

Eat seeds and will cache (bury) seeds in times of excess seed dispersal

Order Didelphimorphia

New world opposums

Marsupials – non placental mammals with a pouch - marsupium

Water Opossum

Chironectes minimus

filin.km.ru/mammels/ opossum.htm

Local Name: Water Dog, Yapo

Order Xenarthra

Anteaters, sloths, armadillos

Northern Tamandua

Tamandua mexicana

www.ceiba.org/articles/ tamandua.htm

www.tikalpark.com/tough2.htm

Local Name: Antsbear

www.sagan-gea.org/.../ paginas/hoja2_31.html

Northern, Naked-tailed Armadillo

Cabassous centralis

Local Name: Dilly

Order Cetacea

Marine mammals – whales and dolphins

Short-finned Pilot Whale

Dark gray to black

Can be seen resting at the surface during the day

Spinner Dolphin

The Spinner Dolphin is a slender creature with a long, thin beak to which the distinct forehead slopes gently

Dramatically acrobatic, with somersaults, high spinning leaps and other aerial movements

Bottlenose Dolphin

Gray to gray-green or gray-brown on the back, fading to white on the belly, lower jaw, and anal regions. The belly may be pinkish.

This coloration, a type of camouflage known as countershading, may help conceal a dolphin from predators and prey

Great Sperm Whale

The biggest of all toothed whales

Name is derived from a structure in their head known as the spermaceti organ

www.terrambiente.org/.../metatheria/ didelphimorphia/

The End