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Megan Chesser searching for salamanders
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Each salamander has a unique spotting pattern
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Photographic ID for Eastern Tiger
Salamanders
Among our goals in research on tiger salamanders is to monitor their
population sizes and track their movements among breeding ponds.
Both of these goals are best accomplished with capture-recapture
population studies. Traditionally, such studies have involved
marking salamanders by implanting tags (PIT tags) or by clipping toes.
NC State undergraduate Megan Chesser is leading our effort to use
photographic identification to "mark" salamanders. Building on
the work of Don Church, Megan is taking advantage of natural spotting
patterns that are unique to each salamander. By photographing all
salamanders each year when they arrive at and leave breeding ponds, we
have a permanent, digital record of capturing individual
salamanders. Megan is currently working to validate photographic
identification, quantifying the error rate in assigning marks to
individuals, and testing for the possibility that marks change over
time.
Our research on monioring tiger salamanders is funded by DoD,
Department of
the Army, Endangered
Species Branch at Ft. Bragg
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