Field notes, v1305
Page 355
Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. | www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
Deere, H. 1984 16 July (continued) faces slightly up from horizontal, measures ~ 50 x 21.5 cm, and is shaped like this: [diagram]. W/ a light we could see that the den is a large, more or less round chamber ~ 2m in all dimensions, w/ the roof slightly higher than the entrance hole. It is clean - no feces, bones, etc, and only a leaf or two; no obvious bed. There was a distinct furred cat track a few cm in front of the entrance on the upslope between entrance and dirt mound, w/ well spread toes and ~ 1/2 an across. Couldn't find any hair or other sign, but a distinct game trail traversed the slope from below to the west, just above the entrance, to the ridge to the east. We tried to imagine any other animal at Ja Selva constructing that room and couldn't, and the entrance seems large enough for an adult jaguar (or a person) to slip into. It seemed recently used, as there were no spider webs and the edges of the entrance were very distinct. The room drops off just inside the entrance, such that one couldn't just crawl in or out. Maybe a nursery? We (Fayner and the Foydens) agreed to keep the location secret for a few days and not revisit the site immediately, in case the cat is