Dear All,
I would like to set up the camera traps to monitor the breeding ground and estimate the adult crocodiles population in the protected area. The area is the saline brackish mangrove wetland and the camera traps are PIR sensors. As I have no experience in setting up the camera traps for crocodiles, is there anybody who have been working on that, please kindly suggest the references for reading or share your experiences? I would like to know which places and positions are the best and suitable in order to capture the crocodiles in wetlands.
I use traps to monitor Capybaras. From the experience I have a good place to position would be at the edge of the mangrove, where the crocodiles are exposed for thermoregulation, so that it grazes along the margin (I drew an attached example). From the experiences I have, it is not possible to monitor capybara within the water using a camera, because their temperature is close to that of the water and this prevents the camera from being activated, the same can happen with the crocodiles. So the best option would be at the bank, at a time when the crocodiles are at rest. I do not understand crocodilian physiology, but I believe the sensor will have to be left with high detection because the temperature of the crocodiles may look like the surrounding environment. I have a lot of references about monitoring mammals using a camera trap, but they will not be useful for reptiles since their physiology is different.
Dear Lucas,
Thank you very much for your very informative answer. Definitely I will consider your suggestion in setting up the camera traps for crocodiles.
The studies I have read mostly relate to using nesting or likely nesting sites as suitable localities for setting up camera traps for adult crocodile monitoring eg. https://www.rufford.org/files/17868-B%20Progress%20Report%20II.pdf
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