Living with Lions
Emma Choe, Karol Vasquez, Karen Sun, Scarlett Oliva,
Description
Since October 2022 and up until May 2023, I have been
participating in monthly expeditions to the Bouverie
Preserve, a non-profit organization located in Sonoma
County. During these outings, myself and others have
been utilizing battery-powered cameras that are
specifically designed to withstand severe conditions. With
these cameras, we have been able to capture moments
from the expansive landscape provided by the Bouverie
Preserve. Once the data from the cameras was collected,
we meticulously reviewed all the photos and documented
every animal species observed, including the date, time,
quantity, and other relevant information.
Hypothesis
For my STEM project, I chose to investigate two primary
questions: "Are animals more active during the daytime or
nighttime?" and "Do animals generally prefer to remain in
groups?" Upon analyzing the data obtained from the photos,
my hypothesis is that animals are more active during the
daytime. I observed numerous animals during daylight hours,
leading me to believe that a majority of the animals in the
Bouverie Preserve are diurnal and remain alert throughout the
day. Regarding the second question, I believe the animals tend
to travel individually rather than in groups. This conclusion is
based on my observation of more solitary animal movements
while reviewing the pictures. However, I did observe certain
species, such as turkeys, displaying a greater inclination to
stay together in groups.
Jocelyn Schmidt, Kurt Kruger
Bouverie Preserve, Piner High School
Procedure
The project involved the setup of cameras in specific
locations to ensure clear visibility.
On each outing, we were equipped with clipboards
containing camera materials and datasheets for data
collection. Initially, we would activate the cameras,
ensuring suitable settings, replacing batteries if
necessary, adjusting the time and date, and swapping
out the SD card with a fresh one for storing new pictures.
This process was repeated for a total of four cameras.
Afterwards, we digitally extracted the pictures from the
SD cards. Using spreadsheets, we would enter the data
while referring to the pictures, noting the date, time,
species, number of individuals, and the number of
pictures for each entry.
Are animals more Observations
active during the
Throughout this project, I've noticed a few key things.
daytime or Firstly, as we've continued attending these outings, I've
observed changes in the habitat itself. The frequent rain
nighttime?
in Santa Rosa has had a positive impact on the Bouverie
Preserve. It's clear to see a significant difference in the
lushness of the grass, trees, plants, and overall
As previously mentioned, one of the key inquiries that I biodiversity in the preserve. Another noteworthy
focused on in this project was the activity patterns of observation relates to animal behavior. While keeping
animals: "Are animals more active during the daytime or track of animal populations, I noticed that certain species
nighttime?" Based on the gathered data, it was observed have a tendency to travel in packs, unlike other animals.
that a larger number of animals tend to be active during This led me to wonder whether animals generally prefer
the daytime. The numbers were relatively close, with 520 to stay together in groups or if they tend to be more
animals recorded during the daytime and 502 during the independent. Which I ultimately chose as one of the
night. This trend can be attributed to specific behavioral primary questions to focus my project on.
characteristics of the common animals at Bouverie
Preserve. For instance, deer are crepuscular, turkeys and
Conclusion
most squirrels are diurnal, and the majority of birds are
active during the day. Given that these species are
prevalent in the preserve, it stands to reason that a
higher number of animals are active during the daytime,
aligning with their characteristic behavioral patterns. In conclusion, I immensely enjoyed the monthly outings
for this project and found the entire experience to be
delightful. Surprisingly, waking up early on Saturday
Do animals generally mornings to go on nature hikes proved to be more
rejuvenating than I had anticipated, despite my initial
reluctance to wake up early. Moreover, the process of
prefer to remain in formulating scientific questions for this project was
interesting. The beauty of the Bouverie Preserve, coupled
groups?
with the captivating wildlife and animals present there,
added to the overall enjoyment of the STEM project. I
wholeheartedly recommend this experience to anyone,
and I myself would do it again in the future.
The second aspect of my project centered around the
question: "Do animals typically exhibit a preference for
group behavior?" The findings revealed that the answer
to this question is negative, as a greater number of
animals were observed to prefer solitary existence rather
than grouping together. While certain species, such as
turkeys, tended to be commonly found in groups, the
overall data showed a clear trend towards individual
travel. In contrast to the first question, the results for this
inquiry were more distinct, with 77% of animals observed
to travel alone rather than in groups.