Abstract

PREVEDELLO, Jayme A.; DELCIELLOS, Ana C.  and  VIEIRA, Marcus V.. Homing behavior of Philander frenatus (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae) across a fragmented landscape in the atlantic forest of Brazil. Mastozool. neotrop. [online]. 2009, vol.16, n.2, pp.475-480. ISSN 0327-9383.

We report the first record of homing behavior of a Neotropical marsupial, the opossum Philander frenatus. The individual studied returned to the home forest fragment where it was captured (1050 m away) crossing a hostile matrix, instead moving to a much closer fragment (50 m distant). Movements did not follow wind or the direction of the closest fragment, but they were significantly oriented towards the home fragment. The individual probably had previous experience with the release site. This unique observation suggests that the ability of P. frenatus to overcome the effects of habitat fragmentation may be higher than considered previously.

Keywords : Landscape connectivity; Marsupials; Matrix use; Movements; Perceptual range.

        · abstract in Portuguese     · text in English     · English ( pdf )