Drivers of jaguar ( Panthera onca ) and puma ( Puma concolor ) predation on endangered primates within a transformed landscape in southern Mexico

Human pressures have increasingly placed keystone species, such as large cats, under threat. Together with forest loss, prey depletion is one of the main threats to the survival of jaguars ( Panthera onca ) and pumas ( Puma concolor ) throughout the Neotropics. Generally, primates are not considered main prey for jaguar and puma, and their inclusion in the diet could be indicative of ongoing prey species decline. Here, we investigate the effect of habitat type and disturbance on primate predation by large cats. Surveys took place during the dry seasons (March to June) of 2010 and 2011, covering a total of 608.5 km across 24 localities in the Uxpanapa Valley, Mexico. We found 65 felid scat samples with the aid of a wildlife scat detection dog, and then examined them to identify predator species and classify the prey remains they contained. Primates represented the most frequent prey (35%) for both jaguar and puma in our study site and constituted approximately half of the biomass consumed by these felines in the area. Primate remains were more likely to be found in scats surrounded by the lowest percentage of conserved forest or in areas surrounded by more villages, showing the potential effects of human activities on these species' populations. The high proportion of primates found in scats within our study site could be an early indication that populations of ungulates and other “typical” prey are beginning to collapse, and urgent conservation interventions are needed for both large cats and primates before they become locally extinct. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material. Numerosas especies clave, tales como los grandes felinos, se encuentran bajo amenaza como consecuencia de las presiones antropogenicas. En el Neotrópico, además de la perdida de bosques, la disminución de presas es una de las causas principales afectando la supervivencia del jaguar ( Panthera onca ) y del puma ( Puma concolor ). A lo largo de si distribución, los primates no son considerados como presa principal para el jaguar y el puma, y su inclusión en la dieta de estos felinos puede ser indicativo de una disminución de presas normales. En este estudio investigamos el efecto del tipo de hábitat y perturbación sobre la depredación de monos por grandes felinos. Realizamos los muestreos durante la temporada seca (Marzo a Junio) del 2010 y el 2011, cubriendo un total de 608.5 km dentro de 24 localidades en el Valle de Uxpanapa, México. Encontramos 65 muestras de heces de