Sampling Terrestrial Animals

Abstract

Depending on the habitat, either large or small animals can pose problems. If aquatic environments are studied the small size of some individuals not only makes them difficult to catch, but, once caught, they may be so small that they will remain unnoticed, and so will not be recorded. If, for example, traps such as the Longworth mammal trap (6.5), are used to capture terrestrial animals, some large mammals, such as the hedgehog, will be unable to fit into the trap and so will escape capture. It is important to be aware of the limitations of the apparatus and techniques used