Journal article
Identification of threatened rodent species using infrared and white-flash camera traps
PA Burns, ML Parrott, KC Rowe, BL Phillips
Australian Mammalogy | CSIRO PUBLISHING | Published : 2018
DOI: 10.1071/AM17016
Abstract
Camera trapping has evolved into an efficient technique for gathering presence/absence data for many species however, smaller mammals such as rodents are often difficult to identify in images. Identification is inhibited by co-occurrence with similar-sized small mammal species and by camera set-ups that do not provide adequate image quality. Here we describe survey procedures for identification of two small, threatened rodent species-smoky mouse (Pseudomys fumeus) and New Holland mouse (P. novaehollandiae)-using white-flash and infrared camera traps. We tested whether observers could accurately identify each species and whether experience with small mammals influenced accuracy. Pseudomys fum..
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Funding Acknowledgements
Surveys were conducted under DELWP Research Permits nos 10007493, 10007606, 10007934 and approval from the Zoos Victoria and Museum Victoria Animal Ethics Committees. This research was conducted with support awarded to PAB from an Australian Postgraduate Award, Zoos Victoria, Parks Victoria, the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment, the Royal Zoological Society of NSW Ethel Mary Read Research Fund, the Linnaean Society of NSW Joyce W. Vickery Scientific Research Fund, and the Field Naturalists Victorian Environment Fund. Thank you to Zoos Victoria, Wildlife Unlimited Pty Ltd, and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (Victoria) for lending cameras and bait stations. Thank you to the observers who participated in the trials and to two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments and suggestions on the manuscript.