Total mercury in wild felids occurring in protected areas in the central Brazilian Amazon

ABSTRACT This is the first study to investigate mercury (Hg) contamination in felid species in the Brazilian Amazon. We collected 26 fur samples from wild felids of four species (Puma concolor, Panthera onca, Leopardus pardalis and Leopardus wiedii) occurring in the Mamirauá and Amanã sustainable development reserves, in the state of Amazonas. Samples were from museum specimens, except for five P. onca samples collected from free-living individuals. Total Hg concentrations ranged from 0.12 to 48.1 µg g-1. Concentrations of Hg did not differ significantly between museum specimens and live individuals of P. onca, but varied significantly among species, with significantly higher concentrations for P. onca and L. pardalis, which could be related to factors such as diet and habitat.

摘要 本研究为首个针对巴西亚马逊地区猫科动物体内汞（Hg）污染状况开展的调查研究。我们从巴西亚马孙州马米拉瓦（Mamirauá）与阿马纳（Amanã）可持续发展保护区内的4种野生猫科动物中采集了26份毛发样本，涉及物种包括美洲狮（Puma concolor）、美洲豹（Panthera onca）、虎猫（Leopardus pardalis）以及长尾虎猫（Leopardus wiedii）。除5份取自自由活动的美洲豹个体的样本外，其余样本均来自博物馆标本。总汞浓度范围为0.12至48.1 µg g⁻¹。美洲豹的博物馆标本与活体个体的汞浓度未呈现显著差异，但不同物种间的汞浓度存在显著差异：美洲豹与虎猫的汞浓度显著更高，这一结果可能与食性、栖息地等因素相关。