Tayra discovery reshapes science | Hallazgo del melero redefine la ciencia

By Eju.tv:

Discovery of a tayra in the Sama Reserve opens new research paths on the species’ distribution in Tarija

The National Service of Protected Areas (SERNAP) reports a scientific record of high relevance for wildlife in the southern part of the country.

Source: SERNAP PRESS

Park ranger Máximo Condori, during his surveillance and control duties in the Cordillera de Sama Biological Reserve (RBCS), discovered a specimen of tayra (Eira barbara), a species whose presence had not previously been documented in this protected area.

Following the ranger’s initial report in the Rincón de la Victoria sector, a team of specialists composed of Fernando Guerra Serrudo, Paola Nogales Ascarrunz, and Enzo Aliaga Rossel carried out the technical and scientific verification of the specimen. The finding corresponds to an adult male found at an altitude of 2,000 meters above sea level, a fact that challenges the known distribution maps for this species in Bolivia, placing it in a colder and drier high-Andean biome than usual. Geographic reference

This joint work between the protection corps and the scientific community makes it possible to establish new hypotheses about the tayra’s behavior, which may be using ecological corridors between the inter-Andean dry forest and the Tucumano-Bolivian forest that were not previously considered part of its habitat.

The specialists agree that this record is the starting point for initiating population and climate adaptability studies, in order to determine whether the species is expanding its territory and to understand its dynamics in the area.

This discovery would not have been possible without the constant monitoring and fieldwork of the Sama Reserve Protection Corps. The park rangers not only made the initial discovery but also actively collaborated in verifying the specimen and collecting data on the threats facing local wildlife.

Unfortunately, the record was made after determining that the specimen was an indirect victim of the large-scale forest fires that affected the area in early August 2025. The specimen showed burns indicating it likely fled the fire before perishing.

Review the full article of the discovery at the following link:

by Omar Pereyra

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