Among the big wild cats, leopards are some of the most beautiful, fierce, and elusive. So, scientists have had to be creative and determined in order to find out more about these amazing animals. Now, using innovative methods, researchers have been able to find a way to identify individual leopards by their roars.
Leopards Roam
According to Eco Watch, tracking leopard populations is quite difficult, because their territories range over large areas, and they are nocturnal and elusive. Now, in the study published in Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, a group of researchers from the University of Exeter in England have discovered a way to solve this problem. Using camera traps and audio recording tools they have figured out how to identify a leopard by its roar.
The study was conducted in Nyerere National Park in Tanzania, across a range of 450 square kilometers. The team attached cameras in 50 sites throughout the park and then put microphones next to each camera in the hope that they could catch the leopard’s roar. Using these technological tools, according to the Miami Herald, the researchers were able to identify 42 of the park’s leopards as well as 217 individual roars that could be matched with individual leopards with up to 92 percent accuracy.
Vulnerable to Extinction
The importance of the study lies in the species’s vulnerability. Leopards are beautiful, dangerous, and quickly disappearing. The Miami Herald reported that leopards are considered a species that is vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature). Though there are thought to be about 700,000 leopards in Africa, their numbers in Asia are dwindling. The hope is that this type of technology can be used in further studies estimating population numbers which is key for conservation efforts.
According to the authors of the study, conservation requires accurate data about species: where they live, their populations, and behavior. Because leopards are so elusive, this can be challenging. Using new technologies could help researchers conduct larger scale studies into leopards and their behavior.
The study is a testament to the hard work and creativity that goes into helping a species survive. The more data researchers can collect, the easier it will be for them to develop effective solutions to the problems leopards face, such as habitat loss and conflicts with humans. And, as an added plus, though most people will never hear or meet a leopard in the wild, they can now enjoy the recorded sounds of their strange but compelling, saw-like roars.
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