SPEEDWAY CAMERAS

Have you ever wondered how it is to look at the animals from up in the trees? Our speedway camera project aims to study wildlife and the usage of animal bridges by installing cameras high above the ground.

So far, we have filmed 11 different mammal species crossing. Tamanduas, porcupines, kinkajous, squirrel monkeys, white face monkeys, howler monkeys, three fingered sloths, two fingered sloths, woolly possums, common possums and squirrels. Birds have also been caught using the ropes for perching and even one time a member of our team saw a snake crossing!

With these videos we can collect ecological and behavioral data about the animals. In addition, getting to know which species are using the ropes give us an idea of how essential these are and can also help us make better decisions about what areas are more important to connect.

Did you know that animals not only use horizontal ropes but also vertical and diagonal ones? Besides the canopy connectivity needed for the animals to move from the tree tops, a healthy forest is composed by a diversity of vines and lianas that are easier to use than thick trunks. These ropes will help animals to move in other directions. For that reason, we are also placing and studying the suitability of ropes in different angles.

To make the project even more interesting, we partner with our friends in the Caribbean, The Sloth Conservation Foundation, who are carrying out similar camera studies so we can share our findings. As we know that different areas of the country have different species and different forest compositions.

Would you like to learn more about our work and watch some of the cool videos that our cameras are filming? Follow us on social media!

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