Camera Traps Reveal Surprising Wildlife Behavior
The use of camera traps in remote wildlife areas is on the rise, and it’s helping with efforts to preserve endangered species. The past few months have seen a number of cool camera trap discoveries; this article also describes how conservation scientists are increasingly relying on the technology.
In Iran, camera traps recently photographed a female cheetah at two separate wildlife reserves 130 km apart (Siahkouh National Park and Hare Anjir Wildlife Refuge), inferring long distance cheetah movement across train tracks and roads. This is part of a larger monitoring system created by the Iranian Cheetah Society, which captured images of caracals, wolves and leopards earlier in the spring.
Jaguars, pumas and an ocelot were also photographed moving through Columbia palm oil plantations on June 7, showing that the boundaries between wild and manmade habitats are becoming more blurred than commonly assumed, and calling into question the black-and-white approach of setting aside small patches of off-limits wilderness in lieu of more extensive habitat protection.
On May 29, researchers announced that the elusive, nocturnal Sumatran striped rabbit was photographed twice on the forest floors in 2011. And earlier in May, cameras captured the Cross River Gorilla, the world’s rarest gorilla subspecies, along the Nigerian-Cameroon border. In late April, a camera trap took the first photos of a Chinese Amur leopard.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.
And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.
How scientists traced a mysterious covid case back to six toilets
When wastewater surveillance turns into a hunt for a single infected individual, the ethics get tricky.
The problem with plug-in hybrids? Their drivers.
Plug-in hybrids are often sold as a transition to EVs, but new data from Europe shows we’re still underestimating the emissions they produce.
Google DeepMind’s new generative model makes Super Mario–like games from scratch
Genie learns how to control games by watching hours and hours of video. It could help train next-gen robots too.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.