Activity patterns of the vulnerable guiña (Leopardus guigna) and its main prey in the Valdivian rainforest of southern Chile

The guiña (Leopardus guigna) is a small felid found primarily in temperate mixed forests of southern Andean and coastal ranges in Chile and Argentina. It is considered a vulnerable species, and is one of the least studied felids in the world. In this study our main aim was to document the relationship between the activity pattern of the guiña and that of its main prey in the Valdivian rainforest (Comau Fjord, southern Chile) using a camera-trap survey. We documented the activity patterns of small mammals and two ground-foraging bird species, as these have been previously cited as the main prey of this felid. Guiñas showed two nocturnal activity peaks, at the beginning and the end of the night, and a weak peak of activity at midday. Small mammals consistently revealed nocturnal activity, whereas both birds were strongly diurnal. Our results revealed a high overlap between the activity patterns of guiñas and small mammals, whereas this was negligible for the bird species. These findings support the idea that small mammals are guiñas’ preferred prey in the Valdivian rainforest. Our study contributes to the understanding of the temporal relationships between the guiña and its prey, and may help to design effective management strategies to conserve this vulnerable felid.