Game camera project snaps amazing wildlife photos

A Costa Rican ocelot takes a peek at a camera.

It has to be one of the most interesting wildlife projects to date - a global camera trap mammal study, documenting 105 species in nearly 52,000 images, from seven protected areas across the Americas, Africa and Asia. 

The photographs reveal an amazing variety of animals in their most candid moments — from a minute mouse to the enormous African elephant, plus gorillas, cougars, giant anteaters and even tourists and poachers!

A southern pig-tailed macaque in Indonesia. 

Analysis of the photographic data has helped scientists confirm a key conclusion that until now, was understood through uncoordinated local study: habitat loss and smaller reserves have a direct and detrimental impact on the diversity and survival of mammal populations.

Impacts are seen in the form of less diversity of species and less variety of body sizes and diets (smaller animals and insectivores are the first to disappear), among others. This information replicated over time and space is crucial to understand the effects of global and regional threats on forest mammals and anticipate extinctions before it is too late.

A Costa Rican puma.

White-lipped pecari in Suriname.

A chimpanzee in Uganda.

All data from the study is publicly available at: www.teamnetwork.org/en/data/query