GUYANAT Project 2026

The JAGUARS collection includes tissue samples, alcohol-preserved specimens and osteological material from species found in French Guiana. Built through the long-term work of the wildlife conservation organisation Kwata, it represents an important resource for documenting regional biodiversity and for studying the anatomy of local wildlife.

In august 2026, the GUYANAT project built on this collection through a two-week scientific mission in French Guiana dedicated to the anatomical study of local wildlife. The project focused first on the masticatory musculature of carnivorans, generating new data for ongoing research on the relationships between the skull, jaw muscles and brain.

Margot Michaud dissecting the masticatory muscles of an ocelot (Leopardus pardalis)

A second part of the project was carried out with a veterinary student and focused on the internal anatomy of French Guianan wildlife. Organs from several species were photographed during dissection, providing the first material for an anatomical atlas of local wildlife. The aim is to progressively build a reference resource that can be used by veterinarians, students, researchers and other professionals working with wild species in French Guiana.

All specimens studied during the mission will subsequently be incorporated into the osteological collection, digitised, and made available for research, teaching and outreach.

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Many thanks to Benoît de Thoisy, Director of Kwata association, for providing access to the collections, and to the Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, where the collections are housed. Special thanks to Julie Voyer, veterinary student at UniLaSalle, for her involvement in the project, and to Sandrine Ladevèze and Alice Melekian for their help and support during the mission