Biologists attached cameras on collars to female caribou in the Fortymile herd, and came away with a wealth of data on the animals' diet and movements:
Caribou seek insect relief on a snow patch in Fortymile River country, as seen from a camera around the neck of a female caribou. This is a still image from a nine-second video the collar captured during a study of the herd using cameras that dropped to the ground in autumn.
Jim Herriges, with the Fairbanks office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, wanted to know what female caribou in the Fortymile herd ate during spring and summer. Biologists have studied the herd for decades; they wanted a greater level of detail and thought cameras might reveal what went straight into a caribou’s mouth.
He proposed capturing and fitting female caribou with collars that held a video camera for a few months. The collars popped off on Sept. 10 in both 2018 and 2019, the years of the study. With an army of volunteer video-watchers and a Ph.D. student who analyzed the data and wrote a paper on the results, the scientists found that female caribou were eating a lot more willow leaves than their droppings revealed.
“The mother is feeding on lichen and her baby, probably a couple weeks old, comes into view and quickly licks her muzzle a couple times to likely smell, taste and learn what the mother is eating. It was really neat to witness and capture this learned behavior taking place in a nine-second video clip.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Synthetic Enamel Could Make Teeth Stronger and SmarterA team of chemical and structural engineers has invented a new material that mimics enamel’s fundamental properties: It is strong and—very importantly—also slightly elastic.
Read more »
On the Road With OddkinEzra Miller's experimental art pop outfit gives us a glimpse inside their short-lived world tour.
Read more »
Scientists deliberately gave people COVID — here’s what they learntOnly half of participants who were exposed to the coronavirus developed infections, most with mild symptoms.
Read more »
SEC Commissioner: New Proposal Could Give SEC Expansive Power to Regulate Crypto, Defi Platforms – Regulation Bitcoin NewsNew SEC proposal could give officials sweeping new powers to scrutinize cryptocurrency platforms, including decentralized finance (defi) protocols, warned the commissioner. crypto bitcoin $BTC
Read more »
Scientists demand new investigation of COVID-19 origins ahead of Beijing OlympicsAn open letter from 20 international scientists demands a comprehensive and transparent investigation into Covid-19's origins ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
Read more »
America Samoa Flag-Bearer Pays Tribute to Shirtless TonganAmerica Samoa flag-bearer Nathan Crumpton waved his country into the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics without a shirt Friday morning.
Read more »