Utility of sampling method for tracking terrestrial murids using automatic video cameras

DOI IR

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 自動動画撮影カメラを用いた地表性ネズミ類の個体追跡サンプリング法の有用性

Search this article

Description

To understand the ecology of mammals, their movement behaviors must be studied. In large- and medium-sized mammals, improved biologging techniques allow us to track each individual and record their movement pathways. However, recording the movement behavior of wild murids for a certain period, is difficult, owing to their small body size and nocturnal characteristics. Therefore, in the present study, we tested whether automatic video cameras were useful for tracking terrestrial murids. This study was conducted from May 16 to October 12, 2022, at the Hokkaido Research Forest of Kyushu University, Ashoro, Hokkaido, Japan. We established a series of ten cameras that can each capture a ground surface area of 9 m2, covering an area of approximately 90 m2 in the study cite. We captured a total of 158 Apodemus individuals and a total of 18 Craseomys individuals, although identifying their exact species names was difficult. Unfortunately, tracking the movement of the murids over long distances was difficult; however, we observed movement pathways that were repeatedly used by the murids. In addition, we successfully observed murid behaviors such as carrying nesting materials (leaves), acorns, and probably young ones. Moreover, we recorded the acorn burying behavior of the Apodemus species. These results suggest that the using video cameras when investigating murids can help collect more behavioral information in the future.

Journal

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top