Jaguars, pumas, ocelots, tapir and other animals at Hidden Valley Inn in the Mountain Pine Ridge in Belize are photographed in a camera survey.

Between April and June 2004, the camera survey was carried out in the Mountain Pine Ridge of Belize by Adam Dillon from Virginia Tech University. The purpose of setting up a camera grid in the Mountain Pine Ridge was to determine the density of ocelots and other animals in that habitat and compare the data to that from a similar survey in the broadleaf rainforest near Las Cuevas in western Belize.

Puma and cub

Ocelots had been known to occupy the Mountain Pine Ridge habitat but 3-4 years ago a lot of the conifer cover was decimated by the naturally occurring southeastern bark beetle. This naturally occurring change has since altered most of the flora and fauna in the area.

These are a few of the pictures of the animals that were photographed over this period.

Results

In the Mountain Pine Ridge habitat we didn't get any pictures of tapirs, Jaguarundi Paca, Agouti, Ocelated Turkey, or Currasow, although we did have pictures of them in the broadleaf habitat. Many of these animals are found more in the broadleaf habitat so this isn't too surprising. We also got a picture of a white-tailed deer in the Mountain Pine Ridge habitat that we didn't get in the broadleaf habitat. Ocelots, jaguars, and pumas had a much lower trapping success in the Mountain Pine Ridge than in the broadleaf jungle as did Red Brocket Deer. Although gray foxes and possums had higher trapping success in the broadleaf, they also had high trapping success in the Mountain Pine Ridge.

Possum

Tayra and armadillo had roughly the same trapping success in both of the habitats and Coatimundi, Skunks, Peccary, and Chachalacas all had a higher trapping succes in the Mountain Pine Ridge than in the broadleaf jungle.

With only one Ocelot photographed in the Mountain Pine Ridge Area, no information about density of population or size of ranges could be determined.

Coatimundi

Collared Peccary

Hog Nosed Skunk

9 Banded Armadillo

White Tailed Deer

Red Brocket Deer

Puma

Jaguar