Seasonal Dynamics of Salt Licks and Their Use by Wildlife in Amazonia

Braga-Pereira, Franciany, Peres, Carlos and Alves, Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega (2024) Seasonal Dynamics of Salt Licks and Their Use by Wildlife in Amazonia. Ethnobiology and Conservation, 13. pp. 1-9. ISSN 2238-4782

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Abstract

In certain Amazonian regions, 25% of hunting occurs at salt licks, sites rich in natural minerals often near creeks prone to periodic flooding. Here, animals engage in geophagy for mineral supplementation and detoxification what enables local hunter to observe their behaviour while waiting their target. Our study evaluates seasonal salt lick availability and wildlife usage, using interviews and obtained information on 31 vertebrate species across 56 natural salt licks in the Central Amazon. While soil and water consumption attract wildlife, species also visit for bathing, predation, and other behaviors. In general, the season with the highest wild species abundance was the receding floodwaters season, because the creeks’ water level decreases and so the salt lick is exposed. Conversely, during the flood pulse, interviewees perceived that the majority of salt licks are not visited by most species because they are often covered by water. Most of the interviewees (74, 46%) said that salt licks are one of the main places where they hunt, however the hunting at salt licks is only done during the receding floodwaters season. Our findings shed light on the ecological significance of salt licks in Amazonia and their role in supporting diverse wildlife communities.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Publisher Copyright: © (2024), (Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco). All rights reserved.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	clay licks,geophagy,hunting,mammals,mineral supplementation,ecology,animal science and zoology,anthropology,plant science,nature and landscape conservation ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2300/2303
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Environmental Biology Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Related URLs:	http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?...
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	30 Mar 2026 15:30
Last Modified:	30 Mar 2026 15:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/102652
DOI:	10.15451/EC2024-08-13.24-1-9

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