MAMMALS OF THE CUATRO CIÉNEGAS BASIN, COAHUILA, MEXICO

• Published in: The Southwestern naturalist 2007-09, Vol.52 (3), p.400-409
• Main Authors: Contreras-Balderas, Armando J, Hafner, David J, Lopez-Soto, Juan H, Ma. Torres-Ayala, José, Contreras-Arquieta, Salvador
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal populations; Archaeological site recording; Archaeological surveys; Archaeology; Bats; Buffalo; Crustaceans; Deserts; Fauna; Feature s; Mammals; Owls; Porcupines; Reptiles & amphibians; Rodents
• ISSN: 0038-4909; 1943-6262
• DOI: 10.1894/0038-4909(2007)52[400:MOTCCB]2.0.CO;2

The current (1996–1997 survey) mammalian fauna of the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin, Coahuila, Mexico, is compared with records of the past century as well as records from undated (pre-1953) owl-pellet records and undated (pre-1700) archaeological remains. The basin supports one of the largest freshwater areas in the deserts of northern Mexico and is located along the Sierra del Carmen–Sierra Madre Oriental Filter-Barrier, between the arid Chihuahuan and tropical Tamaulipan biotic provinces. The freshwater environment has remained remarkably stable through Pleistocene climatic oscillations, but more recently has been subjected to human-induced impact. Comparison of archaeological, historical, and current mammalian fauna depicts the well-known extirpation of larger carnivores and ungulates by humans; the shift to a drier, more Chihuahuan environment; and loss of species during the past century, including the apparent and unexplained disappearance of 4 species of rodents from the basin.