REPRODUCTIVE PHENOLOGY OF Sus scrofa IN MIXED RAINFOREST, IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Abstract

This study reports the reproductive period of wild boars of the specie Sus scrofa (Linnaeus, 1758) in a mixed rainforest with Araucaria environment, located in Southern Brazil, within the conservation unit of the São Francisco de Paula National Forest (FLONA), RS. Monitoring of Sus scrofa populations was carried out in four areas used by the hunters to control the population of this species in the conservation unit, using camera traps. The data obtained revealed a unimodal seasonal pattern of reproduction of Sus scrofa in the Mixed Ombrophylous Forest with Araucaria, occurring between the months of May and December. During this period, copulations would occur between April and May, with pregnant females between May and September, and the recruitment of offspring between the months of July and December. Furthermore, the data indicated that the reproduction of Sus scrofa is correlated with the “pinhão” (Araucaria angustifolia seeds) harvest, which occurs between April and June. This study provides important information about the reproductive cycle of this invasive species in a significant environment in southern Brazil, contributing to the development of management and control strategies for the Sus scrofa population in mixed rainforest environments with araucaria, as well as for comparative studies in other biomes and phytophysiognomies.