Carnivores were given this classification because of the habit of feeding on live animals. Although some still maintain a totally carnivorous diet, others have adapted to the different types of food available in their habitats.

This explains the fact that some species feed both on other animals and on plants.

They are animals of prey with a physical and physiological structure that most often ensures the success of the hunting actions on which their survival depends. They are intelligent, agile and strong, with powerful claws and sharp teeth to tear apart the skin and flesh of their prey. They are animals at the top of the food chain, and therefore influence its structure by preying on the species necessary for their survival.

For that reason, the species belonging to the Carnivora Order are important indicators of the integrity of ecosystems, playing an important role in the natural functioning of same.   

Despite their ecological importance, the great majority of carnivores are endangered by various forms of pressure coming from human activities, such as sports hunting, hunting for the illegal fur trade and traffic in live animals, and hunting by rural producers because of economic damage to domestic livestock.

However, the destruction or alteration of their habitats for many different purposes, such as road construction, illegal removal of timber wood and agriculture that is not properly organized are the main threats to this group, and may cause, among other damage, a reduction in the local quantity of prey, in usable areas and in the exchange of genetic material.

For that reason, research involving the collection of data on carnivores under several approaches, such as feeding habits, reproductive behavior, genetics, distribution, and conflicts with human beings, is important in order to obtain knowledge that may be used as a basis for action plans for the preservation of predatory species, of prey and of the region under study; for a reduction in conflicts between humans and predators; and also to help to reduce economic losses. 

Leopardus pardalis, common name: jaguatirica,  photographed during a survey of mammal species on Fazenda Tamanduá (Jan. 2008).

Cerdocyon thous, common name: cachorro-do-mato or bush dog, photographed during a survey of mammal species on Fazenda Tamanduá  (Jan. 2008).

Procyon cancrivorus, common name: crab-eating raccoon, photographed during a survey of mammal species on Fazenda Tamanduá (Jan. 2008).

The hunting prohibition, adopted since the farm was first bought at the beginning of the seventies, was the first positive local impact, because it enabled the recovery of the existing animal populations over time. That decision restored balance to the local food chain, which shows the importance of this type of attitude. Since  1999, three studies have been carried out on the farm.

The first involved birds (Publication: Birds on Fazenda Tamanduá, R.M.L. Neves and W.R. Telino Júnior); later A.C.A. Moura carried out a study on mammals (not published); and in 2000 a phyto-sociological survey of the RRPN was carried out and published by L.V.C. Araújo.

Continuing the preservation work, the mocó, or rock cavy (Kerodon rupestres), a rodent typical of the caatinga’s rocky regions, was successfully re-introduced in some areas where it was no longer seen.