Have you ever wondered what wild animals do when no one is watching? Scientists have been able to record the “private” moments of wildlife with leading-edge technology. Low-cost, dependable and small modern cameras are of big help.
Cameras placed in hard-to-reach places have taken videos of everything from small desert cats to later snow-loving felines (猫科动物) in the northern Rocky Mountains. These cameras are important tools to learn new information on wildlife.
Some videos help scientists see the effects of climate change. For example, the desert animal javelina (矛牙野猪) and the tree-loving coatimundi (南美浣熊) have been caught on cameras north of their normal home. This could mean global warming is enlarging their living area northward.
Researchers use cameras, along with Global Positioning Systems or GPS. They attach GPS devices to animals living in or around Yellowstone National Park. Then they can record their movements, or migrations (迁移). These cameras can be left in the wild for days, weeks or even months. They can provide information on how many animals are moving over a given period of time.
Putting those cameras in place requires careful planning. Videos recorded by those cameras can show details about animal behavior. However, they have their problems too. Animals such as wolverines (狼獾) and bears sometimes attack them. Scientists do not know if the attacks are the result of anger or interest. Also, the devices have become popular tools to help hunters look for animals. Some people argue that it is unfair to use the cameras that way. Even with such problems, wild cameras are clearly important scientific tools in researching wild animals.
【小题1】Which of the following helps scientists know about climate change?| A．How active wild animals are. | B．What wild animals eat. |
| C．Where wild animals go. | D．When wild animals move. |
| A．Tools. | B．Maps. | C．Pictures. | D．Videos. |
| A．They may make wild animals fight with each other. | B．They may make wild animals puzzled. |
| C．They may attract only a few wild animals. | D．They may bring danger to wild animals. |
| A．Cameras record animals in the wild | B．Cameras become popular in the wild |
| C．Animals no longer have secrets | D．An invention makes animals mad |
