Mastozoologa Neotropical / J. Neotrop. Mammal.

; 10(1):177-181 ISSN 0327-9383

NOTAS TCNICAS - TECHNICAL NOTES 177
Versin on-line ISSN 1666-0536
SAREM, 2003

NOTAS TCNICAS - TECHNICAL NOTES

A SIMPLE GROUND-BASED METHOD FOR TRAPPING

SMALL MAMMALS IN THE FOREST CANOPY

Maurcio E. Graipel

Depto. de Ecologia e Zoologia, Centro de Cincias Biolgicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina,
Campus Universitrio, Trindade, 88.040-970, Florianpolis - SC - Brazil; Phone/Fax: (048) 3319626/
3315156; <graipel@ccb.ufsc.br>

ABSTRACT. A simple and effective ground-based method was developed for trapping small
mammals in the forest canopy. By using this method traps can be set closer to ideal grid
locations, without tree climbing, with quicker set up (3 min. after looping a cable around the
chosen branch), and faster rebaiting (47 sec.) when compared to other methods applied.
This method is described and its efficiency and feasibility are discussed in this paper.

RESUMEN. Un mtodo simple con base en el suelo para el trampeo de pequeos

mamferos en el dosel arbreo. Se desarroll un mtodo simple y efectivo para el trampeo
de pequeos mamferos en el dosel arbreo desde el suelo. En este mtodo las trampas
pueden ser colocadas prximas de su posicion ideal en la cuadrcula, rpidamente y sin
subir a los rboles. Se colocan en 3 min despues de pasar una cuerda por la rama elegida
y son recebadas en 47 segundos. En este trabajo se describe el mtodo y se discuten su
eficiencia y praticabilidad.

Key words: platforms, rainforest, rodents, marsupials.

Palabras clave: plataformas, floresta pluvial, roedores, marsupiales.

INTRODUCTION Voltolini, 1998; Vieira and Monteiro-Filho, in

Ecological aspects of arboreal small mammals
may be investigated through several methods
such as smoked paper tracking (Justice, 1961),
direct observation (Voss and Emmons, 1996),
spool and line (Miles, 1976) and radio-track-
ing (Charles-Dominique et al., 1981). Live
capture of arboreal small mammals can be
obtained through traps set directly on branches
in canopy (August, 1983) or alternatively
placed on wooden platforms (Malcolm, 1991;
Vieira, 1998). These procedures have been
successfully used to trap small mammals in
several Neotropical forests (McClearn et al.,
1994; Passamani, 1995; Leite et al., 1996;
press). For trapping the bamboo rat,
Kannabateomys amblyonyx, bait-less traps set-
ting on artificial bridges can also be used
(Kierulff et al., 1991). Nevertheless, tree climb-
ing is required to place and remove platforms
on the canopy using the pulley method de-
scribed by Malcolm (1991), traps on branches
(August, 1983) or artificial bridges (Kierulff et
al., 1991). For traps set on branches climbing
is also required to rebait (August, 1983) and to
remove the captured animals (August, 1983;
Kierulff et al., 1991). Techniques to climb trees
have been described in several studies
(Whitacre, 1981; Moffett and Lowman, 1995).
Free climbing (Voltolini, 1998) or ladders

Recibido 12 setiembre 2002. Aceptacin final 23 enero 2003.

178
(Wallauer et al., 2000) are also used. How-
ever, these methods are potentially dangerous
(Laman, 1995) and time-consuming. Barker and
Sutton (1997) discussed advantages and disad-
vantages of several climbing methods.
The simplest options for canopy access are
often ground-based (see Moffett and Lowman,
1995; Barker and Sutton, 1997), as in Vieira
(1998). The methods described by Malcolm
(1991) and Vieira (1998) for trapping small
mammals demand complex platforms and re-
sult in the actual location of arboreal traps
placed at some distance from the ideal loca-
tions of a grid design. Malcolms method re-
quires tree climbing and the method described
by Vieira (1998) uses branches parallel to the
ground with diameter ranging from 10 to 25 cm.
Vieira (1998) also describes disadvantages of
Malcolms method.
A simple and effective alternative ground-
based method for trapping small mammals in
the canopy was developed during a small
mammal survey in the Atlantic rainforest in
southern Brazil. By using this method, traps
can be quickly set without climbing and in
locations which correspond more closely to
ideal grid locations, when compared to the trap
locations acheived by other methods. In this
study this method is described and its efficiency
and feasibility are discussed.
METHODS
Study area
The study was developed within the boundaries
of the town of Itapo, Santa Catarina State, Southern
Brazil, at 2604' S and 4837' W. The study area is
covered with secondary Atlantic Forest vegetation
at sea level. The study site was the Reserva Parti-
cular do Patrimnio Natural Volta Velha - Palmital
Farm (1.186 ha.). The forest was described by Klein
(1984) as very uniform, with trees reaching around
12-15 m in height.
Field methods and analysis
Spatial arrangement of grids consisted of 100
stations in a 10 by 10 configuration. A total of 225
traps were used, including 100 traps set on the
ground, 100 on the understory shrubs, and 25 on
canopy. Twenty five of the 100 traps set on the
Mastozoologa Neotropical, 2003
ground were of medium size (45 x 15 x 15 cm) and
the rest, including understory and canopy traps, were
small (26 x 19 x 9 cm). The distance between each
line and between each station on the same line was
20m. However, all medium sized traps and canopy
traps were set 40m distant from each other.
The bait used was banana mixed with peanut
butter. All traps were monitored daily for four
consecutive days each month. The trapping period
for canopy technique analysis was 10 months, from
November 2000 to August 2001, but all captures
combined ranged from September 1999 to August
2001. Trees or shrubs were not chosen randomly
for trap placement. Traps were placed in canopies
connected to neighbouring trees or shrubs, and as
near as possible of the correspondent station.
The time required to install and rebait traps was
recorded to compare the efficiency of the different
trapping methods: 1) Mean time to install traps after
a cable was swung around the chosen branch; 2)
Mean time to rebait traps, including the time to
lower the trap from the branch and lift it back in
place. Other procedures included measuring the
mean height of platforms, and the distance between
the ideal location of the trap station, based on grid
configuration, and the actual trap site. The mean
distance, and standard deviation from the mean,
between the actual trap site and the ideal grid
location is designated scatter, and is used as a
statistic to evaluate the efficiency of different
methods in locating trap sites within a grid
design.
Platform and trap design
The platform is assembled by connecting three
pieces of wood board (2 x 2 x 30 cm) by their
extremities in order to form a shape structure.
The trap is fixed on the lower end of it, and the
unique entrance of the trap faces to inside of the
structure. A thin wire with an upside down
V shape, from where the trap hangs, is attached
to the top of the platform on its far end. After the
trap and the platform are assembled together, a cable
is attached to the superior part of the structure
in such a way to maintain the balance of the structure
when hanging from a branch (Fig. 1). Two cables
3 to 5 mm in diameter were used in the operation
of lifting the platform. One of the cables lifts the
pulley. The other cable is inserted through the
pulley and will hold the platform. When the
pulley is fastened to the branch, the cable that
was inserted through it is used to lift the
platform. Both cables are fastened shoulder-high
to a nearby tree (Fig. 1).
NOTAS TCNICAS - TECHNICAL NOTES 179

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION deviation) 3 min 50 seconds (n = 25; range

The method
The method described here is low-tech as
defined by Barker and Sutton (1997). The
whole trap assemblage, including cables and
platforms, were in perfect conditions after 10
month of field work. The mean time of hoist-
ing the trap to the canopy after the cable has
been thrown over a branch was ( standard
2:02 - 5:44 seconds). The whole process can
be accomplished by only one person, but, in
this study, two people took part in the field
work. The mean time for bait reposition, in-
cluding the lowering and lifting of the trap,
was 47 seconds 12 seconds (n = 25; range
from 30 - 85 seconds). This result is at least
four times faster than the method used by Vieira
(1998), who managed to rebait in approximately
four minutes moving traps from higher levels

Fig. 1. Technique to capture small mammals on the forest canopy. The pulley (in detail) and the platform are not totally
suspended. A Cable to lift the pulley; B Cable to lift the platform; C Wire with V shape to sustain the
trap; P Wooden platform with shape; R pulley. Drawing modified from Vieira (1998).
180
than this experiment used. The results obtained
resulted in faster time to rebaiting and trap set
up than the method used by August (1983) and
Wallauer et al. (2000) and the methods de-
scribed by Malcolm (1991) and Vieira (1998).
The mean height of the platforms was 7.25 m
1.40 m (n = 25; range from 4.8 - 9.8 m).
This height is directly related with canopys
height, which ranged from 12 to 15 m at the
RPPN Volta Velha. Voltolini (1998) and Vieira
(1998) used higher platforms (mean 9.5 m,
range 7.50-12.00 m, and mean 10.1 m range
6.00-15.00 m, respectively) at forests with
canopy varying from 20 to 30 m. Malcolm
(1991) used platforms at mean height of 15 m
near Manaus, Brazil, in canopies reaching over
30 m.
The scatter from the predetermined trap site
(trapping post) based on a grid design and the
actual trap site was 3.91 m 2.08 m (n = 25;
range 0.5 - 9.3 m). Although there is no re-
corded data on such variation in other trapping
methods, it is most likely that the method de-
scribed here, allowing the trap set up on
branches with diameter inferior to five centi-
meters, or even on vines as I have done, will
result in traps more closely placed to ideal grid
loction than other methods mentioned earlier.
Trapping success in the canopy
During the capture period in the canopy I
recorded 608 captures on the ground (4,000
trap-nights), 155 captures on the understory
(4,000 trap-nights), and 69 captures on the
canopy (1,000 trap-nights). The overall trap-
ping success (total number of captures/total
number of trap-nights) was 15.2% at ground
level, 3.88% at understory and 6.9% for the
canopy. The overall trapping success at the
canopy was superior to the ones recorded by
Voltolini (1998) (1.29%), Wallauer et al.
(2000) (2.33%), Vieira (1998) (2.4%),
McClearn et al. (1994) (3.7%), Passamani
(1995) (approximately 5%) and Stallings (1989)
(6.3%). The trapping success in the canopy
per capture session ranged from 0 to 19%.
The number of captures per trapping effort
in the canopy was superior to the number of
captures in the understory and inferior to the
number at ground level. Because there is a
Mastozoologa Neotropical, 2003
different fauna assemblage at different height
levels, it is not appropriate to conclude that
there is a difference in efficiency of captures
at different height levels. The fauna assemblage
at ground level included exclusively terrestrial
species, as well as species mainly associated
with canopy. Besides that, Vieira (1998) noted
that a trap is more easily accessed by mam-
mals when on the ground than when placed in
the canopy.
The captured fauna
One rodent and two marsupial species were
captured in the canopy, whereas two rodent
species (Nectomys squamipes and
Oligoryzomys nigripes) were captured in the
understory and three terrestrial small mammal
species, one marsupial and two rodent species
(Metachirus nudicaudatus; Akodon montensis;
Oryzomys russatus) were captured only in
ground level traps. All species captured in the
canopy and understory were also captured at
ground level (Table 1). Sciurus aestuans was
visually observed near the study area, but it
was not trapped.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I thank Ivo R. Ghizoni Jr., Claudio R. Graipel, Marcos
Azevedo, Rafael Reinicke, Jorge Cherem and
undergraduate students for helping in field work. Natanoel
and Lucio Machado kindly authorized the field work and
provided logistical support at RPPN Volta Velha and
specially to Luis and Chico. I also thank Marcelo Mazzolli
for the English translation, Paul Richard M. Miller for the
English revision and Enrique Gonzalez and Alfredo
Languth for the translation of Spanish abstract, and Jorge
Cherem, Fernando vila Pires, Nilton Cceres, Enrique
Gonzales and Emerson Vieira for the improvement of the
manuscript. This research project was partially funded by
PICDT/CAPES.
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NOTAS TCNICAS - TECHNICAL NOTES 181

Table 1
Small mammals captured in the Atlantic forest of Southern Brazil. (TN = trap-nights)

Species Number of captures

Ground level Understory Canopy
TN = 4,000 TN = 4,000 TN = 1,000

MARSUPIALS
Metachirus nudicaudatus 3
Micoureus demerarae 11 37 22
Gracilinanus microtarsus 5 58 8

RODENTS
Akodon montensis 311
Oryzomys russatus 218
Nectomys squamipes 55 7
Juliomys sp. 5 46 39
Oligoryzomys nigripes 1 5
Total 609 153 69

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