BackgroundSigns left by some mammals such as tracks, trails, burrows, scratches, feces, hair, and others can be an important tool for species identification. This study was conducted in the Itirapina Ecological Station, in the southern Brazilian Cerrado, whose main objectives were to (1) compare the burrow morphometric variables of Cabassous unicinctus and Euphractus sexcinctus and (2) check for differences in the occurrence of foraging burrows in two different environments: areas with vegetation (shrubby grassland) and areas without vegetation (roads). The collected measures of armadillo’s burrows have been width, height, depth, and angle relative to the soil. To record foraging burrows (<70 cm), the linear transect methodology was used simultaneously in roads and shrubby grassland environments.ResultsIn a shrubby grassland environment of the Itirapina Ecological Station, a density of 121 burrows/ha pertaining to C. unicinctus and of 277 to E. sexcinctus was observed. Although there is overlap between them, morphometric variables were used to measure the burrows; significant differences were observed in all: depth, p < 0.001; ratio, p < 0.001; perimeter of the ellipse (perimeter), p < 0.001; and angle of excavation relative to the soil, p < 0.001. There was an observed interaction between the variables p < 0.001 for Wilk test. The PCA analysis evidenced two highly distinct groups of burrows, which corresponded to the initial visual classification. The variance explained by axes 1 and 2 was 83.18 %. The variable that most influenced the distinction of the burrows of the species was the perimeter. There was a density of 114 foraging burrows/ha across the roads and 42 in shrubby grassland. The results of the ANOVA, p < 0.05, and Tukey test, p < 0.05, demonstrate significant difference between the mean densities of foraging burrows in the said environments. This indicates that armadillos use the area devoid of vegetation to feed.ConclusionsThus, this study provides information that can assist in the surveys of these species as well as to clarify aspects of its ecology in the Cerrado.

中文翻译：

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巴西塞拉多两种犰狳洞穴的分化与表征

背景 一些哺乳动物留下的痕迹，例如足迹、小径、洞穴、抓痕、粪便、毛发等，可以成为物种识别的重要工具。本研究在巴西南部塞拉多南部的 Itirapina 生态站进行，其主要目的是 (1) 比较 Cabasous unicinctus 和 Euphractus sexcinctus 的洞穴形态测量变量，以及 (2) 检查两个地区觅食洞穴发生的差异。 .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .不同的环境：有植被的地区（灌木草地）和没有植被的地区（道路）。收集犰狳洞穴的宽度、高度、深度和相对于土壤的角度。为了记录觅食洞穴（<70 厘米），在道路和灌木草地环境中同时使用线性横断面方法。结果在Itirapina生态站灌木草地环境中，观察到C. unicinctus 121个洞穴/公顷和E. sexcinctus 277个洞穴/公顷的密度。尽管它们之间存在重叠，但使用形态测量变量来测量洞穴；在所有方面都观察到显着差异：深度，p < 0.001；比率，p < 0.001；椭圆的周长（周长），p < 0.001；和相对于土壤的开挖角度，p < 0.001。对于 Wilk 检验，观察到变量之间的相互作用 p < 0.001。PCA 分析证明了两组高度不同的洞穴，它们对应于最初的视觉分类。轴 1 和轴 2 解释的方差为 83.18%。对物种洞穴区别影响最大的变量是周长。道路两侧的觅食洞穴密度为114个/公顷，灌木草地为42个。方差分析的结果 (p < 0.05) 和 Tukey 检验的结果 (p < 0.05) 表明在所述环境中觅食洞穴的平均密度之间存在显着差异。这表明犰狳使用没有植被的区域来觅食。结论因此，本研究提供的信息有助于对这些物种的调查以及阐明其在塞拉多的生态学方面。