title: Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) Density in Central Amazonia.
abstract: Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) are presumed to be the most abundant of the wild cats throughout their distribution range and to play an important role in the dynamics of sympatric small-felid populations. However, ocelot ecological information is limited, particularly for the Amazon. We conducted three camera-trap surveys during three consecutive dry seasons to estimate ocelot density in Amanã Reserve, Central Amazonia, Brazil. We implemented a spatial capture-recapture (SCR) model that shared detection parameters among surveys. A total effort of 7020 camera-trap days resulted in 93 independent ocelot records. The estimate of ocelot density in Amanã Reserve (24.84 ± SE 6.27 ocelots per 100 km2) was lower than at other sites in the Amazon and also lower than that expected from a correlation of density with latitude and rainfall. We also discuss the importance of using common parameters for survey scenarios with low recapture rates. This is the first density estimate for ocelots in the Brazilian Amazon, which is an important stronghold for the species.
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Tubney, United Kingdom.|Grupo de Ecologia e Conservação de Felinos na Amazônia, Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá, Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniel Gomes
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: da Rocha
authors.affiliation: Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States of America.
authors.forename: Rahel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sollmann
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Ecologia e Conservação de Felinos na Amazônia, Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá, Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil.|Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Emiliano Esterci
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Ramalho
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Ecologia e Conservação de Felinos na Amazônia, Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá, Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil.|Departmento de Ecologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ilha
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Tubney, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Cedric K W
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D045989:Felidae; D011156:Population Density; D011159:Population Surveillance