Generales

By Carlos Olimpo Restrepo S., Journalist at UdeA Communications Office 

Until last year, researchers had identified 31 mammal species in this biodiversity conservation area. Recent studies by Biology students from the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences at the Universidad de Antioquia have confirmed at least 43 species thriving in this tropical rainforest. 

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Researchers first detected the little sac bat (Saccopteryx leptura) through its vocalizations, captured by a specialized recorder. Photo: UdeA Communications Office / Alejandra Uribe F.  
 
Raccoons are not particularly agile, so it was no surprise when a camera trap in the Tulenapa Forest, Carepa, Urabá Antioquia, captured one attempting to climb a fallen log before giving up. Later in the identical footage, two tayras arrived at the same spot, moving confidently as if they knew the terrain well. 
 
These two recently identified mammal species inhabit a small forest that has been a research focus for professors and students at the Universidad de Antioquia. Since 2008, when UdeA acquired the land, it has offered valuable opportunities to study the interactions between vegetation, soil, fauna, climate, and human activity. 

Since mid-2023, Felipe Quiceno Ramírez, a member of the Mastozoology group, has collaborated with a team of Biology students from Medellín to update the species census of this forest, the headquarters of UdeA’s Ecological and Agro-environmental Studies. 

Rectoral Resolution 2552, issued on April 25, 2023, designated Tulenapa as a biodiversity conservation area. This 144.2-hectare area of untouched primary rainforest lies surrounded by large banana plantations and grazing land for livestock. At the time of its designation, researchers had documented 257 plant species, 31 mammals, 308 bird species, and hundreds of insect species, along with many other forms of life. 
 
You may be interested in: Protecting a rainforest in Urabá, Antioquia. 
 
With this foundation, Felipe and his colleagues developed a fieldwork proposal and, in May 2024, traveled to Carepa, the home of Tulenapa. They carried mist nets to capture bats at mid-level heights, specialized recorders to detect their calls, and camera traps to monitor activity in the lower forest. 

“We started by analyzing the bat samples caught in the mist nets and the recordings from our sound devices. That’s when we identified a Saccopteryx leptura,” said Felipe Quiceno. “Next, we reviewed the camera traps and spotted a crab-eating raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus), followed by footage of tayras (Eira barbara) on the same memory card.” 

The student and researcher pointed out that these animals had not appeared in Tulenapa Forest’s mammal registry until then. Two were carnivores, and the team identified two distinct tayras. 

“These species compete directly with other animals for food, potentially affecting their survival. However, they also benefit tree species by consuming fruit, traveling across large areas, and dispersing seeds through deposition, helping regenerate and expand the forest,” Quiceno explained. 

Ongoing biodiversity research 

Tayra (Eira Barbara) observed in the Tulenapa Forest. Illustration: UdeA Herbarium / Diego Armando. 

For years, Alma Mater has studied the biological diversity of its campuses. One of the latest efforts, completed in 2021, resulted in the Illustrated Guide to Mammals of the Universidad de Antioquia main campus and Robledo campus, authored by Ana María Ávila and professors Iván Darío Soto and Sergio Solari.  

Building on this initiative, professors Soto and Solari encouraged their students to conduct a similar study in Tulenapa, where researchers had recorded 31 mammal species. They aimed to find unrecorded species and include them in a new field guide currently in development. 

“Professor Iván Darío and I recommended this site because we knew it well. We had conducted previous studies there and recognized it as an excellent location for research, being the most natural of the university’s campuses,” Solari explained. 

As part of this initiative, Quiceno and his colleagues’ findings built on research conducted months earlier by students in the Ecology of Communities course, led by Professor Juan Luis Parra, and the Mastozoology course, taught by Professor Solari. Their work identified four bat species—Molossus molossus, Molossus rufus, Dermanura phaeotis, and Rhogeessa cf. io—along with one opossum (Metachirus myosuros) and one mouse (Neacomys tenuipes). 

“Tulenapa is perfect for these projects because it is larger than other university campuses, serves as a natural conservation area, and remains well preserved, as studies have shown. It also benefits from strong support from professors and students,” said the Mastozoology professor. 

You may be interested in: Biodiverse Urabá 

Discoveries that open new questions 

Felipe Quiceno is eager to deepen his study of Saccopteryx leptura, or little sac bats while emphasizing the need for additional research on the other newly identified species. 

“These observations led to new questions,” the researcher explained. “What other mammal species inhabit the area? How do they interact with one another? Which trees do they rely on for food or shelter?” 

He pointed out that tayras cover vast areas, so it’s essential to determine whether they occasionally pass through Tulenapa or inhabit it. Regarding the raccoons—who share the forest with other carnivores like the crab-eating fox and have nearly identical diets—he raised important questions: How do they compete? What strategies do they use to survive? “These questions are already guiding the design of new studies we plan to conduct in the area,” Felipe added. 

To explore these questions, a medium-term research project will use camera traps from the Mastozoology group and those already installed in Tulenapa. The project plans to involve students from Medellín and the university’s campuses in Urabá and will include thorough fieldwork in the forest. One key objective is to locate raccoon and crab-eating fox latrines in order to collect fecal samples. These samples will help researchers analyze the animals’ diets and understand how a small area of primary rainforest supports these and other species. 

Professor Sergio Solari expressed interest in conducting similar research on other university campuses but emphasized that, for now, the priority is to complete the Tulenapa inventory and field guide. This guide will include illustrations by artists from the University Herbarium and a collection of photographs before the team takes on a new project.