How understanding animal behavior can support wildlife conservation

Researchers from EPFL and the University of Zurich have developed a model that uses data from sensors worn by meerkats to gain a more detailed picture of how animals behave in the wild. Advancement in sensor technologies has meant that field biologists are now collecting a growing mass of ever more precise data on animal behaviour. Yet there is currently no standardized method for determining exactly how to interpret these signals. Take meerkats, for instance. A signal that the animal is active could mean that it is moving; alternatively, it could indicate that it is digging in search of its favorite prey, scorpions. Likewise, an immobile meerkat could be resting - or keeping watch. In an effort to answer these questions, researchers from EPFL's School of Engineering  Laboratory of Movement Analysis and Measurement  (LMAM) teamed up with colleagues from the University of Zurich's  Population Ecology Research Group  to develop a behavior recognition model.