Mammals of medium and large size from a fragmented seasonal forest landscape in Mato Grosso do Sul state, central-western Brazil

Abstract

The southern cone of Mato Grosso do Sul state is poorly known in terms of mammal community composition. This information is very important to propose an environmental management plan. The present study provides information on the composition of medium and large size mammals in the municipality of Batayporã, in the Ivinhema river basin, southwestern Brazil. The mammal community was sampled during 19 field sampling occasions by the identification of vestiges, such as burrows, feces, vocalization and tracks, as well as through direct observations. I recorded 24 mammal species distributed in eight taxonomic orders. Thirteen species were frequently recorded, six species were rarely recorded, and six species are considered threatened in Brazil or in global level. The area presents almost half of the medium and large-sized mammal fauna from Mato Grosso do Sul state, but fragmentation and sugarcane plantations may represent a threat to the local biodiversity conservation.