Differential utilization of surface and arboreal water bodies by birds and mammals in a seasonally dry Neotropical forest in southern Mexico

Water availability significantly influences bird and mammal ecology in terrestrial ecosystems. However, our understanding of the role of water as a limiting resource for birds and mammals remains partial because most of the studies have focused on surface water bodies of desert and semi-desert ecosystems. This study assessed the use of two types of surface water bodies (waterholes and epikarst rock pools) and one arboreal (water-filled tree holes) by birds and mammals in the seasonally dry tropical forests of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in southern Mexico. We deployed camera traps in 23 waterholes, 22 rock pools, and 19 water-filled tree holes in this karstic region to record visits by small, medium, and large-bodied birds and mammals during the dry and rainy seasons. These cameras were set up to record videos documenting when animals were making use of water for drinking, bathing, or both. We compared the species diversity and composition of bird and mammal assemblages using the dif..., , , # Differential utilization of surface and arboreal water bodies by birds and mammals in a seasonally dry Neotropical forest in southern Mexico

This dataset contains the records and capture frequencies of birds and mammals recorded by camera trapping using surface and arboreal water bodies in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve throughout a year. We also provide the corresponding code to conduct the analyses

## Description of the data and file structure

***body mass.csv***

This file contains the body mass in kilograms of bird and mammal species in Mexico. It is used to match the body mass of species recorded in water bodies and to classify the species into categories. The columns correspond to the scientific name and body mass of each species.

***locomotion.csv***

This file contains the locomotion mode of bird and mammal species recorded using water bodies. It is used to match the locomotion type of the recorded species. The columns correspond to the scientific name, class, and locomo...