Conhecendo a fauna do campus: guia de répteis e anfíbios da Matinha do Pici

Abstract

Reptiles and amphibians are often targets of fear and disgust, commonly associated with danger. However, these animals pose little to no risk to humans. These feelings stem from popular culture, which is based on the belief that these animals are malicious and dangerous. On the Pici Campus, there is a great diversity of frogs, snakes, and lizards, and encounters between them and university visitors are common. However, these encounters do not always end amicably for the animals, which are often victims of attacks by people who lack knowledge about the importance of these animals for ecological balance. In this sense, the main objective of this work is to produce a fauna guide of the herpetofauna of the Pici Campus, aiming to assist in scientific dissemination and environmental education for the campus community as well as the general public. A survey was conducted in the Biological Collection of the NUROF, in addition to the website of the Special Municipal Environmental Management/UFC INFRA, to identify the species that have been found on the university. The guide was produced with the help of Canva: Design, Photo & Video®, which facilitated the assembly, organization, and editing of the pages. All images contained in the guide were sourced from online photographic collections such as AmphibiaWeb, The Reptile Database, and Biodiversity4all. In total, 57 species were identified, distributed across 19 families, with the order Lacertilia having the highest richness, with 34 species distributed across 12 families. Conversely, the species with the highest relative abundance was Ameivula ocellifera, commonly known as the painted calango, with 237 specimens collected. Following this, the species Helicops leopardinus, an aquatic snake, was the second with the highest relative abundance, with 232 specimens collected. The family with the most representatives was the colubrid family (Colubridae), from the suborder serpents. According to this survey, the amphibian species frequently found on the Pici Campus is Rhinella diptycha, commonly known as the cururu toad. The guide includes all species found and cataloged in the ARIE of Matinha do Pici from 2000 to 2023, as well as images of the animals and characteristics of the species. Furthermore, the end of the guide includes a self-authored game to facilitate understanding of the subject matter.