Dear Chimp&See-ers,
This month our mod Libby @burdock is guest writing about the project she initiated and has been leading - the OMAs: Other Matchable Animals.
Chimp&See mainly focuses on chimpanzees, but chimps live in a rich and diverse environment, and so we identify all animals on our camera traps that make up their ecology and environment. You might already know that we do gorilla, leopard and elephant matching, but we also sometimes capture animals that are rare and amazing with clear patterns. For example, the majestic okapis from the Democratic Republic of the Congo which can be identified as individuals by their unique stripes. Bushbucks also have unique patterns of stripes and dots, which are different on each side of the body. From this we have been able to identify and name individuals that have been seen more than once. For example, this is beautiful Coeur seen from both sides.
We have a bunch of tags for this project too:
#clear_pattern- for animals with clear markings
#health_issue
#injury
#atypical + a note as to why the animal is atypical - for example this aardvark with a floppy ear
#atypical_colouration - specifically for when its colour is something special!
#local_variant - for when we see something often at a site, so its unique for the whole data set but common at a given site
We also pick up animals behaving oddly. The guinea baboons at Cascading Arches try to fish for algae while keeping as dry as possible, by holding up an arm or a leg. They may look injured, but they move quite normally out of the water.
We keep track of anything odd and then decide as we collect the data whether it's a behavioural anomaly (like with the baboons) or if there is just a persistent injury or health issue. By recording these animals and also checking them out for health issues and injuries, we paint a broader picture of the ecosystem in which C&S operates.
Interested in getting involved with matching other animals, join us at the OMA board
And if you want to join the team where you will get daily notifications on all the different projects we do at C&S, check out the discussion “What is the team for?”!
Cheers
Libby & the Chimp&See team
