Traditional Ecological Knowledge About Dietary and Reproductive Characteristics of Tupinambis merianae and Hoplias malabaricus in Semiarid Northeastern Brazil

Studies have demonstrated the importance of local ecological knowledge (LEK) in informing our scientific knowledge about how species behave in their environment, and such knowledge can help to guide ecological management decisions. The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between LEK and conventional ecological knowledge based on ethnoecological and ecological information about the diet and reproduction of the tegu lizard (Tupinambis merianae) and the tiger fish (Hoplias malabaricus) in two communities in semiarid northeastern Brazil. Information on the diets of the animals was collected via surveys, and information about reproductive characteristics was obtained from semi-structured interviews with people from two communities. In addition, we analyzed the stomach contents of the animals and performed macroscopic analysis on their gonads. The informants did not report different items for the different ontogenetic stages of the two species under study. However, the information they provided about the diets of the animals did largely match the results of our biological analyses.