Drone Video Captures Caribou From the Air
New drone footage reveals new clues about how individual animals behave within herds. Ecologists Andrew Berdahl and Colin Torney used drones to study caribou migration in Canada. Animal migration has long been studied using tracking collars, but that method has limitations. Drones allow scientists to study social interactions between animals of the same herd. Using computer models, researchers saw variation in the interactions within the herd. Instead of all members behaving as one, factors such as age, sex, and social status influenced their unique movements. Berdahl hopes their research will offer new clues into motivations within herd movement. In a time when their environment is rapidly changing.
