Elaboration of a behavioral catalog for the little spotted cat Leopardus tigrinus (Schreber, 1775) (Carnivora: Felidae) in captivity

Abstract

Considering that most species of Brazilian felids are threatened with extinction and poorly known, understanding their behavior is of special interest. This research aimed to create a behavioral catalog in captivity for the Little spotted cat Leopardus tigrinus, the smallest felid species from Brazil. A male and a female were studied at the private collection of wild animals of Klabin S.A. (Telemaco Borba, PR. -24º 12' S and 50º 33' W), in the mid Tibagi region, east-central Paraná State. From March to July, 2003, 40 hours of qualitative observations were carried out to define the categories and identify the behavior. The quantitative observations followed the Focal animal method (Altmann, 1974). They took place during three consecutive days and 11 observation periods (33 days), with 107.2 hours for the male and 42.4 hours for the female. Each session lasted 15 minutes, and started at the beginning of each hour (from 06:00 AM to 06:00 PM), with five-minute intervals between individual recording. The categories found were: moving (05 behavioral acts), still (06), body care (03), comfort (02), exploratory (04), marking (04), excretory (02), vocal (05), agonistic interactions (06), peaceful interactions (02), acts related to the acquisition of food (05) and reproductive acts (04). The catalog is a compilation of all behavioral acts of the species. There are many possibilities and perspectives for the use of this catalog. It could be an important tool to better understand the behavioral patterns and help the management and well being of the species in captivity.