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Mashpi Science brings extraordinary news as we reach the halfway point of the year: two pumas making history, a violet-flowered plant new to science, and a discovery published in an international scientific journal.
Copal and Capu: the Pumas Helping Write the History of Puma Conservation in the Andean Chocó
A few months ago, we told you about the puma ecology study we’ve been carrying out across the Mashpi-Tayra Reserve. Today we are thrilled to share the results of phase two of this project, results that exceeded all our expectations.
The Puma Project is a long-term investigation into the ecology of this species, launched in 2023 and structured in four phases:
- Monitoring with camera traps
- Satellite tracking with GPS collars and genetic analysis
- Verification of connectivity corridors and habitat use
- Individual identification using Artificial Intelligence (AI)
After intensive fieldwork by the research team, two male pumas, named Copal and Capu, were fitted with GPS collars and continuously monitored for periods of 6 to 10 months. This is no small achievement: Copal and Capu belong to a very small group of pumas tracked with GPS collars in Ecuador, a figure that speaks to the rarity of the feat, the complexity of the methodology, and the scientific significance of this study.
Why does studying pumas matter so much? Because these cats are not just a symbol of the forest — they are a measure of its health. A puma needs vast territories, available prey and continuous forests free from strong human pressures. The data collected — time-use patterns, habitat preferences and residency areas — are concrete tools for making management and conservation decisions, and for guiding environmental education efforts in the communities that live closest to these animals.
Preliminary results show that pumas in the region use territories of up to 22,239 acres —three times the size of the Mashpi-Tayra Reserve. This confirms that it is essential to design and carry out conservation at a landscape scale, integrating a strong community component.
From the very beginning, this has been a collaborative effort. Phase two was made possible by a network of partners who contributed from different fronts: the Carnivore Laboratory and the TUERI Wildlife Hospital, Dr. Cindy Hurtado, and the Ong family. All work was carried out under the corresponding permits from the Ecuadorian government and with the approval of the USFQ wildlife ethics committee.
We also want to recognize the work of biologist Chiara Correa, who was part of the Research and Biology team at Mashpi Lodge from 2023 to 2025. Chiara led the puma capture phase with rigor, dedication, and a genuine love for conservation. Today, she continues her work through Felinos de Monte, alongside Alexander Medina (parabiologist at the lodge), a community-based initiative dedicated to feline conservation and the mitigation of human–wildlife conflict.
Stay tuned — we will soon be sharing more results from this remarkable project.
Species #25: a new aroid with striking flowers that smells of mint and citrus
Numbers carry their own weight. Reaching 25 species new to science discovered in the Mashpi-Tayra Reserve is, without a doubt, a milestone worth celebrating.
The protagonist of this chapter is Xanthosoma quitensis, a small terrestrial plant that grows in the humid understory of the montane forest and was, until recently, completely unknown to science. It was discovered by Ecuadorian botanist Ricardo Zambrano Cevallos of the Quito Botanical Garden, in collaboration with Thomas Croat, a renowned aroid specialist at the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Like its relatives the anthuriums and philodendrons, X. quitensis belongs to the family Araceae and has the sagittate leaves characteristic of the group. But what makes it truly striking is its inflorescence: a structure that clusters hundreds of tiny flowers, with a deep dark-violet interior and a bright orange female zone on the spadix. A visual contrast that seems designed to catch the eye — though it is actually designed for something far more precise: attracting beetles.
During the late afternoon and early evening hours, the plant releases a fragrance with minty and citrusy notes that guides its pollinators toward it: a refined chemical strategy, the product of millions of years of coevolution between plants and insects.
The epithet quitensis refers to the Metropolitan District of Quito, the territory where the type locality of the species is found. To date, X. quitensis is known only from the Mashpi-Tayra Reserve, which makes it an immediate conservation priority. With this new species, Ecuador now counts 53 species of Xanthosoma, 32 of them endemic, confirming the country as one of the most important centers of diversity for this group across the entire Neotropics.
Harvestmen: the Silent Predators of the Understory
In our last Mashpi Science, we introduced you to harvestmen, a group of arachnids that, despite resembling spiders, form their own distinct lineage with a fascinating and still poorly understood ecology. Today, science gives them the spotlight they deserve.
A study recently published in the journal Ecology & Evolution documented something that had never been recorded before: harvestmen can prey on live amphibians — and they do it without venom — a finding that is not only surprising, but ecologically significant, suggesting that these interactions may occur far more frequently than we ever imagined.
We are especially proud because behind this scientific contribution are names from Mashpi Lodge itself: Juan Carlos Narváez, Head of Expeditions; Lizardo Proaño, Naturalist Guide; and Esteban Calvache, Resident Biologist. Their field observation work was a fundamental part of this study.
So, the next time you walk our trails, it is worth slowing down and looking carefully, because what seems ordinary may be, quite literally, a discovery new to science.
With these three remarkable stories — pumas tracked by satellite, a plant never before described, and an arachnid rewriting the textbooks on ecology — we close this June edition of Mashpi Science. But not before remembering that what makes Mashpi Lodge truly special is not only its extraordinary biodiversity, but also the team that studies and protects it, and the explorers who, through their visits, make all of this possible.
See you in the next Mashpi Science!
