Abordagem etnozoológica sobre o uso do tejo (Tupinambis Merianae) por moradores rurais do município de Aparecida - PB.

Abstract

The tegu lizard Tupinambis merianae is an important species for rural dwellers of northeastern Brazil. Evaluating species use and the commonness of their capture is central to understand the impacts of hunting practices. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the ethnozoological knowledge of rural dwellers from Aparecida, PB, Brasil, regarding the use and importance of the tegu lizard T. merianae. Data was collected by applying semi-structured interviews. Local residents were selected given their potential knowledge on animal use for therapeutic and feeding purposes. Results showed that the species is mostly used as anti- inflammatory treatment, that the meat is highly consumed by local dwellers, and that hunting is the primary means of obtaining these products. Future studies should further examine the importance of zootherapy by evaluating how the animal products use really are and the impacts of hunting on local animal diversity.