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The increasing frequency and severity of human‐caused fires likely have deleterious effects on species distribution and persistence. In 2020, megafires in the Brazilian Pantanal burned 43% of the biome's unburned area and resulted in mass mortality of wildlife. We investigated changes in habitat use or occupancy for an assemblage of eight mammal species in Serra do Amolar, Brazil, following the 2020 fires using a pre‐ and post‐fire camera trap dataset. Additionally, we estimated the density for two naturally marked species, jaguars Panthera onca and ocelots Leopardus pardalis. Of the eight species, six (ocelots, collared peccaries Dicotyles tajacu, giant armadillos Priodontes maximus, Azara's agouti Dasyprocta azarae, red brocket deer Mazama americana, and tapirs Tapirus terrestris) had declining occupancy following fires, and one had stable habitat use (pumas Puma concolor). Giant armadillo experienced the most precipitous decline in occupancy from 0.431 ± 0.171 to 0.077 ± 0.044 after the fires. Jaguars were the only species with increasing habitat use, from 0.393 ± 0.127 to 0.753 ± 0.085. Jaguar density remained stable across years (2.8 ± 1.3, 3.7 ± 1.3, 2.6 ± 0.85/100 km2), while ocelot density increased from 13.9 ± 3.2 to 16.1 ± 5.2/100 km2. However, the low number of both jaguars and ocelots recaptured after the fire period suggests that immigration may have sustained the population. Our results indicate that the megafires will have significant consequences for species occupancy and fitness in fire‐affected areas. The scale of megafires may inhibit successful recolonization, thus wider studies are needed to investigate population trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The behavioral study of elusive species, which often cannot be directly observed in the wild, is based on the use of animal monitoring technologies. Here, we evaluate the performance of four methods applied simultaneously on a single population to detect and characterize the activity behavior of elusive species, using the giant armadillo Priodontes maximus as a model. GPS tagging, accelerometer, and camera trap array data were used to characterize general activity patterns, while camera traps placed in front of burrows in use were used to define activity duration, onset, and termination times. Circular kernel probability density functions were used to characterize activity patterns with each data set and the overlap coefficient Δ4 was used to characterize the similarity between them. We gathered data from 53 armadillos during 9 years in the Pantanal wetlands of Brazil. Activity duration estimates showed significant variation among monitoring methods but were generally short (4.5–6 h on average). Overall, the estimates of activity timing provided by the methods used were relatively similar (>75% Δ4 overlap) and pointed to a nocturnal activity pattern. Armadillos left their burrows mainly in the first hours after sunset, and terminated their activity mainly between midnight and 4 am. However, the camera trap array provided a later activity onset and peak estimates for the species when compared to other methods. The species spends 75–80% of its time underground and accelerometer data shows that armadillos are not active and do not feed while underground, pointing to a fossorial behavior for the species. Although researchers should be aware of the small biases that can emerge from some of the methods, the general similarities among patterns indicates that researchers can choose among the ever‐increasing number of animal monitoring technologies depending on their research question and constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burrowing species can be considered important ecosystem engineers that increase landscape heterogeneity, create subterranean shelters and provide foraging opportunities. We measured and described different aspects of giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) excavations (size, age), and differences generated in relation to the surrounding environment (vegetation, humidity, temperature) in three sites of the Argentine Chaco Region. We used camera‐traps in two protected areas to monitor the use of burrows by other species and tested two primary and non‐mutually exclusive hypotheses: Giant armadillo burrows are used as thermal protection from temperature extremes and provide new foraging opportunities for other species. Greater litter cover and depth were recorded in giant armadillo burrows, and more bare ground in spoil piles, producing habitat heterogeneity. Burrows had higher humidity and more moderate temperatures, with lower temperatures during hot months and higher temperatures during cold months. Out of 48 vertebrate species recorded by camera‐traps, 27 taxa (17 mammals, 9 birds and one reptile) were recorded using burrows. White‐lipped peccaries (Tayassu peccari) and collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu) used burrows more frequently than other mammals. Medium‐sized carnivores such as Pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus) and Geoffroy´s cat (Leopardus geoffroyii) tended to only investigate burrows, probably searching for prey. In no instances, animals other than giant armadillos were recorded staying inside burrows for more than a few seconds. Medium‐sized species interacted more frequently than large‐sized species, and smaller species used giant armadillo burrows less than larger ones, suggesting that the benefits provided by excavations to other species depend on their body weight. The probability of use of burrows decreases with time, suggesting that burrows provide a finite resource used opportunistically. Further reduction in the distribution of the giant armadillo is therefore likely to have effects on habitat heterogeneity and biodiversity, probably impacting the fitness of species that use their burrows as foraging sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population density is a key parameter in conservation, but remains a challenging metric to obtain for rare and cryptic species. We designed a camera trap array targeting the elusive giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), estimated densities using spatially explicit capture-recapture models, and compared these with estimates from a previous eight-year telemetry study in the area. Density from the six-month camera trap survey (7.69 individuals/100km²) is nearly identical to that from the intensive telemetry study (7.65 ind./100 km²). We recommend the use of systematic camera trap arrays, which are much less expensive and time consuming, to obtain insights on the population status of elusive species across the Neotropics and inform conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on threatened species in highly modified and unprotected landscapes are necessary for the development of appropriate conservation policies. This is particularly important for species with large home ranges, such as the giant armadillo Priodontes maximus , whose occurrence in anthropogenic landscapes is poorly known despite its categorization as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. We searched and surveyed for the giant armadillo within human-modified areas in central Brazil using direct and indirect methods across a wide region dominated by diverse farming environments and scattered remnants of natural vegetation. During a 14-year period (2003–2016), we located 54 records of the species, including three road-kills and two instances of poaching. Most of the occurrence points (83%) were in native vegetation, with 17% in anthropogenic environments (pastures and roads). We confirmed the presence of the giant armadillo within a wide, intensely human-altered region. These findings indicate that Cerrado and Atlantic Forest remnants in modified landscapes in central Brazil play an important role as refuges for this armadillo species. In addition to habitat loss, road-kills and poaching persist as threats to the giant armadillo. Conservation actions are necessary to minimize human impacts and facilitate the persistence of the giant armadillo in this region. Policies that both deter illegal deforestation and strengthen incentives for the protection of natural vegetation remnants and restoration of biological corridors such as gallery forests would aid conservation of the giant armadillo in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) has a wide, and sometimes unknown, distribution across the South American continent. Giant armadillos are found in several types of well-preserved habitat. In the Amazon, the presence of P. maximus was fully confirmed through direct evidence only in a handful of occasions and it remains a poorly known species with considerable gaps and uncertainty concerning its distribution. This sensitive species is highly vulnerable to hunting. Data on P. maximus are usually obtained through indirect observations. Using camera-traps, we bring to sight the first direct observations of this species near Manaus (Brazil). Its presence points out the ecological relevance of the forests in this location and fills a gap where its distribution was still uncertain. More information on the movement patterns, habitat use and population density of this species is therefore needed to carry out appropriate conservation measures in these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Amazon is one of the most diverse biomes around the globe, currently threatened by economic and industrial development and climate change. Large mammals are keystone species, playing an important role in ecosystem structure and function as ecological engineers, while being highly susceptible to deforestation, habitat degradation, and human exploitation. Using a unifying hierarchical Bayesian spatial approach, we examine the site-use patterns of four large Amazonian Forest mammals and their relationships to anthropogenic factors at a biome-wide scale. Our results showed that species' patterns of site use are correlated with human induced habitat changes, and that this correlation is species-specific. The white-lipped peccary shows highest site-use estimates within strict protected areas, affected by proximity to urban areas and benefiting from indigenous territories, the tapir responding slightly to proximity to burned forested areas, while the giant armadillo and the jaguar were primarily affected by vegetation cover loss; disturbances related to the colonization of the Amazon. Our findings contribute to the understanding of how human-induced environmental changes influence the site-use patterns of these four large mammals, and inform future conservation and land use planning. Transboundary conservation efforts, empowering and integrating native (indigenous and non-indigenous) communities in land governance schemes, involving the private sector and securing the commitment of developed countries are important paths for the protection and sustainability of the globally-crucial Amazon rainforest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]