tracking methods

each card includes: how it works, strengths, weaknesses and best for

spool and line

thread tracks movement of animal

cheap, fine scale paths

labour intensive and short range

insects, small mammals

mark-recapture

individuals marked and later recaptured

population estimates, cheap

very low resolution

population size, survival

radio tracking (VHF)

hand held antenna tracks radio signal

works in dense habitats

labour intensive, coards

medium mammals, birds

automated radio telemetry (ATLAS)

fixed towers triangulate VHF tags

high resolution, many animals

needs infrastructure

birds, small mammals

GPS tags

satellite-based location fixes

high accuracy and long range

heavy, battery limits

large birds, mammals

GPS with upload

GPS + real time data upload

no retrieval needed

expensive

conservation, migration

geolocators (light level)

light sensors infer latitude and longitude

very light, long duration

low accuracy, must recapture animal

small birds, migrants

acoustic tags

emit sound detected by underwater recievers

great underwater resolution

only aquatic, lots of infrastructure required

fish, sharks

reverse-GPS

receivers on animals, base stations locate them

high frequency, accurate

needs dense receiver network

birds, bats, marine mammal