Tagging Wild Animals: From Metal Bands to High-Tech Devices

Animal Tracking History and Technology 🛰️

From Metal Bands to High-Tech Devices

Why do we tag animals?

Tracking animals mainly help scientists to collect the following data:

- Population Size
- Habitat type and size
- Birth and death rates
- Behavioral and Physiological Information

This research supports conservation efforts that build programs to ensure species survival and design policy in the laws to protect them and their habitat

History of Animal Tagging

• Some of earliest forms of wildlife tagging were little more than metal bands.

• Each animal was given a unique identification number and was tagged on the ear, leg or other part of the body.

• As animals were seen or captured, they became known by their number and tracked throughout their life.
  

Hotspot

Different animals require different tags, like this monarch, who has a very light, paper tag. Click the tag in the image.

Hotspot

Spot the tag on this animal:

Draw

Draw a circle around the tag on this Banded Snowy Plover:

Multiple Select

What do you think is some of the data scientists can get from animal tagging.

• Approximate lifespan of the animal

• Migration Patterns

• Population Size

• Their inner thoughts

Radio Telemetry Tags (VHF):

• In the 1950s radio telemetry advanced animal tagging exponentially.

• Now animal tags could send out radio signals that could be picked up by a "receiver".

• By following the signal, they could find specific animals

• Each radio frequency is unique, like changing the station of a car radio to get a different station.

Multiple Select

What type of waves are radio waves? (There are 2 correct answers)

• Sound Waves

• Mechanical Waves

• Light Waves

• EM Waves

Labelling

Label the components of a radio tag and telemetry antenna.

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

Transmitter

Antenna

Receiver

Early Satellite Technology

• Sputnik emitted a radio signal as it orbited the earth

• Scientists at Johns Hopkins University observed that the frequency of the radio signal increased as the satellite approached and decreased as it moved away.

• This is called the Doppler Effect, or frequency shift.

• Eventually, using this concept, they found you could determine the location of a receiver on the ground by its distance from the satellite.

Multiple Choice

Frequency shift, also known as the _______ ______, allowed scientists to track items on the ground anywhere in the world.

• Doppler Effect

• Bernoulli Effect

• Newtons Law

• Satellite Strategy

GPS- Satellites 🛰️

• In the 1960s, the US launched a series of satellites
  to be used for the government and military.

• Early systems had huge ground based transmitters which helped improve maps and were used for things like missile positioning.

• In 1996, the system was replaced with the Global Positioning System (GPS), whose satellites send out a radio signal with a very accurate time signal.

• Currently there are 31 operational satellites orbiting us.

GPS Tags

• The GPS tags on animals uses the same technology that mobile
  phones use to find location.

• They receive the radio signal from the GPS satellites and have
  computer chips to calculate the location and movement of the animal.

• That data is either stored, or sent to a different satellite which relays it to a computer that the scientist can access

• Often the data is published, like Whale Watch, Yellowstone Wolf Watch, Santa Cruz puma tracker (to name a few)

Open Ended

What are some of the challenges scientists may face when designing a animal tracking program?

- Scientists need to trap the animals (trap, sedate, or net)
- Devices must fit properly and securely to avoid hurting animal/falling off
- Device must weight less than about 5% of the animal’s body mass
- Device must collect the data needed to support the animal
- Device must be economical
- Habitat may present constraints around type of device (water, mountains)

Challenges to animal tracking

Match

Match the following tag features to their limiting requirements.

• Transmitting data remotely

• Record Internal Conditions (like body temp and depth)

• Storing data in the device

Requires a big battery

Requires a surgery to insert device

Requires scientists to collect the tag

• Requires a big battery

• Requires a surgery to insert device

• Requires scientists to collect the tag

Multiple Select

Which types of animal tracking tags are available to scientists:

• VHF Tags (Radio Tracking which requires a person to receive the signal)

• GPS Tags (Tags receive satellite signal)

• Satellite Tags (Tags which send signals to satellites rather than radio signals to a person)

Reorder

Reorder the following from MOST EXPENSIVE (1) to LEAST EXPENSIVE(4)

• Satellite Tags (Sends information remotely, in real time, requires battery but can last for years)

• GPS Tags (Collects data but needs to be gathered to be collected, needs a lot of battery)

• VHF Tags (Requires a person in the field to receive the signal, uses relatively little battery)

• Non-electronic ID Tags

1

2

3

4

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

Match

Match the device with the type of data it collects

• Accelerometer

• Depth Recorder

• GPS

• Altimeter

• Thermistor

Speed (change in position)

Depth of dives (fish and mammals)

Geoposition

Height (Birds)

Internal Temperature

• Speed (change in position)

• Depth of dives (fish and mammals)

• Geoposition

• Height (Birds)

• Internal Temperature

Open Ended

What do you think scientists can learn from something like an internal temperature tracker?

Multiple Select

Select the benefits of sharing animal tracking data with the public (Like yellowstone wolf tracker)- choose all that apply

• Spark public interest

• Keep wolves safe from human hunters

• Students and Universities can use the data for research

• There are no good reasons to share the data.

Dropdown

Animal ​​

Select answer

is the process of assigning an animal a unique number or identification unit.

Dropdown

Animal ​​

Select answer

is the process of collecting movement or biological data with an electronic chip.

Multiple Choice

How can scientists track specific animals with radio tagging (VHF)?

• The tags produce their own unique frequency.

• They cannot, it is just a beep sound.

• They change to other light waves, like infrared.

• The tags produce light waves that move at a unique speed.