Medium-sized to large mammals of a human-modified area in the state of São Paulo

Habitat modification is a major threat to biodiversity, and the Cerrado has been under high disturbances for the last decades, therefore, natural remnants lands play an important role in conserving local biodiversity. The São Paulo state contains few native remnants of Cerrado, generally surrounded by agriculture, which can shelter some species. Here we report the medium- and large-sized mammals found in a rural landscape in the Cerrado of São Paulo and the assessed annual richness. We set camera traps to survey mammals from 2013 to 2018. We recorded 21 different species from 13 families and 8 orders, from which 5 were exotic. The presence of exotic species indicates anthropogenic influence. The observed and estimated species richness showed almost no difference in the first year of sampling, but from 2014 onwards, the richness difference became greater. The most record species in 2018 was the coati (Nasua nasua), followed by the puma (Puma concolor), the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). Small natural remnants in private lands can work as ecological corridors, guaranteeing connectivity among patches in the landscape. These results highlight the importance of the small remnants in the southern domain of the Cerrado.