Small mammals (Didelphimorphia, Chiroptera and Rodentia) in pellets of Tyto furcata (barn owl) (Aves, Tytonidae) from southern Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Cherem, Jorge José
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Outros Autores: Hadler, Patrícia, Stutz, Narla Shannay, Pardiñas, Ulyses Francisco José
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Biotemas (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/biotemas/article/view/2175-7925.2018v31n3p43

The study of small mammals in owl pellets, especially of the genus Tyto, is considered a useful and complementary tool in mammalogy. However, few studies using this kind of information have been conducted in southern Brazil. We analyzed craniodental remains of small mammals in Tyto furcata pellets from seven locations in the three southern Brazilian states. In all, 2,382 individuals belonging to 29 taxa were recorded, including 5 marsupials (Didelphidae; 1.39% of individuals), 4 chiropterans (Molossidae, Phyllostomidae and Vespertilionidae; 0.25%), and 20 rodents (Cricetidae, Muridae, Caviidae and Echimyidae; 98.36%). The rodents Akodon spp., Oligoryzomys sp. and Mus musculus were the most common taxa. The sample also included taxa with few recorded localities previously published, such as the rodents Bibimys sp., Calomys tener and Wilfredomys oenax. The richness of small mammals obtained in the samples studied corroborates the utility and importance of analyzing pellets of birds of prey. In addition, our contribution highlights the need for more detailed studies on the morphology and identification of several mammalian species, such as those of the genera Akodon and Oligoryzomys, considering the fragmentary nature of the specimens retrieved from pellets.