Natural dispersal or illegal pets? Limitations on assigning origin to road‐killed ocelots in the southwestern United States
Abstract The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a spotted felid that is critically endangered in the United States (U.S.). During spring 2010, 2 ocelots were road‐killed in the southwestern U.S. far from known populations; an adult male near Palo Pinto, Texas, and a subadult male near Globe, Arizona. Ne...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2011-12-01
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| Series: | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.63 |
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| author | Joseph D. Holbrook Randy W. DeYoung Michael E. Tewes John H. Young Jody L. Mays Ed Meyers |
| author_facet | Joseph D. Holbrook Randy W. DeYoung Michael E. Tewes John H. Young Jody L. Mays Ed Meyers |
| author_sort | Joseph D. Holbrook |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a spotted felid that is critically endangered in the United States (U.S.). During spring 2010, 2 ocelots were road‐killed in the southwestern U.S. far from known populations; an adult male near Palo Pinto, Texas, and a subadult male near Globe, Arizona. Necropsy results indicated that the Palo Pinto ocelot was likely a captive, whereas the Arizona ocelot was consistent with a wild individual. We used genetic data to determine the geographic origin of the ocelot lineages. A South American assignment would suggest human‐mediated transfer of ocelots, whereas an assignment to northern Mexico may indicate natural movements. We acquired reference‐sequence data and performed a phylogenetic analysis. Our results suggested that the Palo Pinto ocelot's lineage was from northern Mexico or southern Texas. The Arizona ocelot's lineage grouped with Mexico and Guatemala; however, sampling constraints prevented any explicit geographic assignments. Collecting additional genetic samples throughout Mexico is essential for future assignment analyses, and to determine whether illegal pet trafficking is occurring. These efforts would also provide necessary data to assist ocelot recovery in the U.S. © 2011 The Wildlife Society. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3fdaa7fd3da2479eaa3ed5335f221a05 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2328-5540 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2011-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
| spelling | doaj-art-3fdaa7fd3da2479eaa3ed5335f221a052025-08-20T01:56:29ZengWileyWildlife Society Bulletin2328-55402011-12-0135450450710.1002/wsb.63Natural dispersal or illegal pets? Limitations on assigning origin to road‐killed ocelots in the southwestern United StatesJoseph D. Holbrook0Randy W. DeYoung1Michael E. Tewes2John H. Young3Jody L. Mays4Ed Meyers5Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University‐Kingsville, MSC 218, 700 University Blvd, Kingsville, TX 78363, USACaesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University‐Kingsville, MSC 218, 700 University Blvd, Kingsville, TX 78363, USACaesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University‐Kingsville, MSC 218, 700 University Blvd, Kingsville, TX 78363, USATexas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, TX 78744, USALaguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Los Fresnos, TX 78566, USAUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service, Nogales, AZ 85621, USAAbstract The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a spotted felid that is critically endangered in the United States (U.S.). During spring 2010, 2 ocelots were road‐killed in the southwestern U.S. far from known populations; an adult male near Palo Pinto, Texas, and a subadult male near Globe, Arizona. Necropsy results indicated that the Palo Pinto ocelot was likely a captive, whereas the Arizona ocelot was consistent with a wild individual. We used genetic data to determine the geographic origin of the ocelot lineages. A South American assignment would suggest human‐mediated transfer of ocelots, whereas an assignment to northern Mexico may indicate natural movements. We acquired reference‐sequence data and performed a phylogenetic analysis. Our results suggested that the Palo Pinto ocelot's lineage was from northern Mexico or southern Texas. The Arizona ocelot's lineage grouped with Mexico and Guatemala; however, sampling constraints prevented any explicit geographic assignments. Collecting additional genetic samples throughout Mexico is essential for future assignment analyses, and to determine whether illegal pet trafficking is occurring. These efforts would also provide necessary data to assist ocelot recovery in the U.S. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.63endangered speciesLeopardus pardalismitochondrial DNAocelotphylogeneticsUnited States |
| spellingShingle | Joseph D. Holbrook Randy W. DeYoung Michael E. Tewes John H. Young Jody L. Mays Ed Meyers Natural dispersal or illegal pets? Limitations on assigning origin to road‐killed ocelots in the southwestern United States Wildlife Society Bulletin endangered species Leopardus pardalis mitochondrial DNA ocelot phylogenetics United States |
| title | Natural dispersal or illegal pets? Limitations on assigning origin to road‐killed ocelots in the southwestern United States |
| title_full | Natural dispersal or illegal pets? Limitations on assigning origin to road‐killed ocelots in the southwestern United States |
| title_fullStr | Natural dispersal or illegal pets? Limitations on assigning origin to road‐killed ocelots in the southwestern United States |
| title_full_unstemmed | Natural dispersal or illegal pets? Limitations on assigning origin to road‐killed ocelots in the southwestern United States |
| title_short | Natural dispersal or illegal pets? Limitations on assigning origin to road‐killed ocelots in the southwestern United States |
| title_sort | natural dispersal or illegal pets limitations on assigning origin to road killed ocelots in the southwestern united states |
| topic | endangered species Leopardus pardalis mitochondrial DNA ocelot phylogenetics United States |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.63 |
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