Density and displacement of Phyllotis limatus in the Atacama Desert

Abstract

Phyllotis limatus is an inhabitant of the Atacama Desert, where it is distributed in arid costs and Pacific Andean slopes, reaching 4.000 meters. With the implementation of a study of wildlife in a Chilean Prepuna area, we capture and mark small mammals (marking with microchip). From these records, we studied the movement and density of the specie in a high semidesert environment. Movements registered were able to record up to 2.5 km in a relocated individual and 1.2 km in a resident individual. Similarly, we note that the densities of Phyllotis in these extreme environments are low and probably this is related to the environmental cost in these ecosystems.