45.

Yucatan Brown Brocket

Mazama pandora

French: Cariacou du Yucatan / German: Yucatan-Mazama / Spanish: Corzuela de Yucatan

Taxonomy. Mazama pandora Merriam, 1901,

Tunkas, Yucatan (Mexico).

It has been considered a subspecies of M. gouazoubira and of M. americana . Monotypic.

Distribution. Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico); possibly also in N Guatemala and N Belize.

Descriptive notes. Few measuremets available. Shoulder height 70 cm; weight 17-21 kg. Medium-sized brocket, slightly larger than the sympatric Mexican Red Brocket (M. temama). The main color of the coatis gray-brown, with pale brown to whitish underparts. A tuft of stiff hairs grows on the forehead. Relatively long antlers, longitudinally furrowed; antler tips may curve inward.

Habitat. It is a generalist, able to live in wet and dry forests as well as shrublands, with a preference for tall and medium semi-evergreen forests. It also occurs in mangrove forests, above high tide level. In populated areas,it will sometimes enter into agricultural plantations to feed.

Food and Feeding. It is mainly frugivorous, but feeds on a wide range of plants. The diet is richer in species during the wet season.

Breeding. It seems to breed during most of the year.

Activity patterns. Nothing is known of the daily activity patterns, but almost surely crepuscular. In addition, it may be active at other times of the day and night, depending on hunting pressure.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. It lives in small home ranges and is basically solitary.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. It is globally declining. Overhunting and habitat loss are the main threats.

Bibliography. Medellin et al. (1998), Weber & Medellin (2010), Weber et al. (2008).