Conservation requires accurate information about species occupancy, abundance, and behavior. However, collecting these data for elusive and isolated species such as Leopard (Panthera Pardus)is often challenging. In a large-scale paired camera trap and autonomous recording survey Nyerere National ParkScientists in Tanzania have discovered that each leopard has a unique call, which can be used to identify them. The authors were able to identify individual leopards by their vocalizations with 93.1% accuracy.

Leopards are listed as vulnerable According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, it is mainly caused by habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.

But because leopards are solitary nocturnal creatures that live across vast landscapes, scientists have struggled to gather reliable data to help reverse population declines.

There is little scientific research into the leopard's “saw-like roar.” This is a repetitive, low-frequency pattern of strokes that can often be heard from at least a kilometer away, and is primarily used to attract mates and defend territory.

But studying leopards through the sounds they make (a technique known as bioacoustics and commonly used to monitor birds and marine life) has the advantage of allowing researchers to monitor a wider area. .

It could lead to more complex studies, such as population estimates, a key indicator that helps policy makers and conservationists understand how to manage landscapes and reduce human-wildlife conflict. There is a gender.

University of Exeter PhD student Jonathan Growcott and his colleagues have conducted the first large-scale paired passive acoustic monitoring and camera trapping study.

They focused on 450km² Fifty cameras have been installed in trees along roads and trails across a vast area of ​​Tanzania's Nyerere National Park.

They placed a microphone next to each camera, allowing them to identify the leopard from the camera and extract its roaring bouts from the audio.

They then used a modeling system to analyze the temporal patterns of leopard calls and found that individuals could be identified with an overall accuracy of 93.1%.

This study shows that by using multiple forms of technology to record complementary data, we can exploit a wider range of species characteristics than studying any single technology in isolation.

“The discovery that leopards have a distinctive roar is an important but fundamentally very basic discovery that shows how little we know about leopards and large carnivores in general.” Growcott said.

“We hope this will make leopards the focus of more complex acoustic science, such as population density studies, and open the door to further research into how large carnivores use vocalizations as a tool.” Masu.”

“Importantly, we hope that our success in using a combination of different types of technology will inspire others to think about how to integrate different types of technology into their research. Because the rich data this provides could truly advance science and help us understand ecosystems and landscapes in a more holistic way. ”

of study Published in this month's magazine Remote sensing in ecology and conservation.

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Jonathan Growcott others. The secret acoustic world of leopards: A combination of camera traps and bioacoustic surveys facilitates the identification of leopards by their roars. Remote sensing in ecology and conservationpublished online on December 22, 2024. doi: 10.1002/rse2.429