Footprint tracker identifies tiny mammals with up to 96% accuracy

Scientists use digital footprints to track elusive small mammals

The state-of-the-art technology can identify species which were previously only distinguishable by DNA.

Footprint tracker identifies tiny mammals with up to 96% accuracy

It might be less visible than dwindling lion populations or vanishing pandas, but the quiet crisis of small mammal extinction is arguably worse for biodiversity. These species are crucial indicators of environmental health, but they can be very hard to monitor, and many species with very different ecological niches look almost identical.

96% accurate footprint tracker for tiny mammals could help reveal ecosystem health

It might be less visible than dwindling lion populations or vanishing pandas, but the quiet crisis of small mammal extinction is arguably worse for biodiversity. These species are crucial indicators of environmental health, but they can be very hard to monitor, and many species with very different ecological niches look almost identical. But now scientists have developed a new way of identifying and monitoring these tiny mammals using their foot…