Arapuca

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An arapuca Arapuca.jpg
An arapuca

An arapuca (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [a.ɾaˈpu.kɐ] ) or aripuca is a handcrafted trap used by the Guaraní to catch birds, monkeys and other small animals. [1] [2] [3] Its height is usually less than a meter, but there is a giant, 17-meter-tall reproduction of one of these traps in the touristic complex of La Aripuca, in the outskirts of the city of Puerto Iguazú, in Misiones, Argentina.

An arapuca is a pyramid built out of tied sticks, [4] and it can trap live prey without hurting it. It is placed where the hunter knows the prey usually passes through or in its preferred habitat, along with small baits, like seeds or pieces of bread. When the animal steps on the right spot, the trap is triggered by its weight, dropping the pyramidal structure on top of it and preventing it from fleeing. The trigger is normally concealed under a layer of dried leaves and soil, taken from the same place so it will not look suspicious to the victim. [5]

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References

  1. Lonely Planet, La Aripuca de Iguazú Archived December 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine (in English)
  2. Pierson, Donald (1973). Cruz Das Almas: A Brazilian Village. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 85. ISBN   978-0-8371-5083-3 via Google Books. The arapuca, or trap for catching birds, is used especially for the smaller species [...]
  3. van Vliet, Nathalie; Cruz, Daniel; Quiceno-Mesa, Maria Paula; de Aquino, Lindon Jonhson Neves; Moreno, Jessica; Ribeiro, Rairon; Fa, John (2015). "Ride, shoot, and call: wildlife use among contemporary urban hunters in Três Fronteiras, Brazilian Amazon". Ecology and Society. 20 (3): 4. ISSN   1708-3087. JSTOR   26270228. Other commonly used traps are the arapuca, a wooden pyramidal trap that traps the animal when it tries to take bait hung on a stick inside the structure, which are designed to catch terrestrial birds and small mammals.
  4. Ribeiro, Berta G. (1 January 1988). Dicionário do Artesanato Indígena [Dictionary of Indigenous Crafts] (in Brazilian Portuguese). APGIQ. p. 43. ISBN   978-8531901300. Cilada feita de estiletes de madeira dispostos em forma piramidal, unidos entre si por trançado torcido. É utilizada como armadilha para apanhar pássaros e pequenos animais. [A trap made of wooden stilettos arranged in a pyramid shape, joined together by twisted braid. It is used as a trap to catch birds and small animals.]
  5. Lana, Manuel Sampaio (2012). Maloca aruak ecológica: Pãhmuri Mansã-wy [Ecological maloca aruak: pãhmuri mansã-wy] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Manaus: Government of the State of Amazonas. p. 69. ISBN   978-85-65409-16-2.