Camera-trap survey to detect free-ranging domestic cats and other mammals in Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park

Data Records

The data in this sampling event resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 72 records.

1 extension data tables also exist. An extension record supplies extra information about a core record. The number of records in each extension data table is illustrated below.

This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.

Versions

The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.

How to cite

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

Sanglas A, Palomares F (2023). Camera-trap survey to detect free-ranging domestic cats and other mammals in Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park. Version 1.0. Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC). Samplingevent dataset. https://doi.org/10.15470/xqbah0

Rights

Researchers should respect the following rights statement:

The publisher and rights holder of this work is Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC-BY-NC 4.0) License.

GBIF Registration

This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: 9687731f-4d52-4340-a80a-2799489d2ef3.  Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC) publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by GBIF Spain.

Keywords

camera trap; carnivores; distribution; mammals; Mediterranean region; mountainous area; occurrence; protected area; survey; free-ranging domestic cats; Felis catus; baited stations

Contacts

Geographic Coverage

Camera traps were deployed across Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park (province of Huelva; Spain).

Taxonomic Coverage

No Description available

Temporal Coverage

Project Data

The project SUMHAL aims at implementing a strategy for biodiversity conservation in the western Mediterranean hotspot by setting a technologically efficient and scientifically robust system. The project combines fieldwork and virtual research environments for the recording, storing, analysis, and dissemination of the conservation status and threats of biodiversity in Andalusia (Southern Spain). The general aim of WP4 is to focus on anthropogenic impacts (biological invasions, land-use changes and food subsidies) that are of great global concern and therefore relevant not only to Andalusian and Spanish ecosystems and societies, but also to Europe as a whole. To this end, it will use traditional and other novel methodologies, mainly of remote animal monitoring, in addition to the participation of society to monitor ecological and socio-economic impacts at different spatial scales.

The personnel involved in the project:

Sampling Methods

Camera traps were left at the same point for an average of one month during the first survey, and two weeks during the second, after checking that two weeks was enough to detect the majority of domestic cats moving in the surroundings of the camera. Cameras were separated from each other by a distance between 500 and 1000 m approximately. Between the two surveys, old positions were not taken into account, meaning that some positions might be very close to each other, but correspond to different sampling periods. Two different models of camera traps were used, Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Black Led during the first survey and Acorn LTL5310 during the second, similarly programmed to take 3 pictures per trigger at the minimum speed trigger available. Cameras were tied to trees or deployed using a tripod at 0.20–1 m above ground and set to distances of 2.5–8 m from baits. Camera traps were baited with dried cat food pellets placed in artificial feeding troughs (hand-made PVC pipes of 11-cm diameter and 50-cm long) and tied to trees with ropes in front of the cameras in order to maximise the likelihood of detecting all cats in the area.

Method step description:

1. Pictures were sorted following the methodology of R package CamtrapR (Niedballa et al. 2016) in order to extract metadata (date and time of the picture). Consecutive pictures of the same species within a 30 min interval were considered as the same event unless individuals could be identified by their fur patterning (specifically domestic cats and dogs) or other features (injuries, marks, spots). Mammals belonging to domestic animal herds or other species of vertebrates such as birds or reptiles were not included.

Bibliographic Citations

1. Sanglas A, Palomares F (2022). "Response of a mesocarnivore community to a new food resource: recognition, exploitation, and interspecific competition." European Journal of Wildlife Research, 68:51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-022-01597-4
2. Niedballa J, Sollmann R, Courtiol A, Wilting A (2016). “camtrapR: an R package for efficient camera trap data management.” Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 7(12), 1457–1462. doi:10.1111/2041-210X.12600

Additional Metadata