The maned wolf is the largest South American canid species and is categorized as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List. In Uruguay two adult males were illegally hunted, one in Rio Negro and the other in Cerro Largo.The aim of this study was to characterize the levels of genetic variability of maned wolf in Uruguay using molecular markers and to confirm their presence in Cerro Largo and Rio Negro using non-invasive genetic techniques. Samples from illegally hunted animals and a faeces collected in the Cerro Largos poaching locality were analyzed. Mitochondrial DNA fragments were amplified (Cit b and D- loop). The Cerro Largo samples were also genotyped for nine microsatellite loci. Faecal DNA was sexed using primers designed for Canidae. Our results revealed a higher genetic diversity than expected because each sample analyzed showed a different haplotype for D-loop. Faecal analysis revealed that sheep remains were included in the animal diet and sexing markers revealed that the maned wolf was a male. Cerro Largo samples share at least one allele in every one of the microsatellite loci used. This suggests that the animals that we screened from Cerro Largo may be members of a family group.
