SNAPSHOT USA 2021: A third coordinated national camera trap survey of the United States

Hila Shamon; Roi Maor; Michael V Cove; Roland Kays; Jessie Adley; Peter D Alexander; David N Allen; Maximilian L Allen; Cara L Appel; Evan Barr; Erika L Barthelmess; Carolina Baruzzi; Kelli Bashaw; Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau; Madison E Baugh; Jerrold Belant; John F Benson; Bethany A Bespoyasny; Tori Bird; Daniel A Bogan; LaRoy S E Brandt; Claire E Bresnan; Jarred M Brooke; Frances E Buderman; Suzannah G Buzzell; Amanda E Cheeseman; M Colter Chitwood; Petros Chrysafis; Merri K Collins; D Parks Collins; Justin A Compton; L Mike Conner; Olivia G Cosby; Stephanie S Coster; Benjamin Crawford; Anthony P Crupi; Andrea K Darracq; Miranda L Davis; Brett A DeGregorio; Kimberly L Denningmann; Kyle D Dougherty; Ace Driver; Andrew J Edelman; E Hance Ellington; Susan N Ellis-Felege; Caroline N Ellison; Jean E Fantle-Lepczyk; Zach J Farris; Jorie Favreau; Pilar Fernandez; M Caitlin Fisher-Reid; Matthew C Fitzpatrick; Elizabeth A Flaherty; Tavis D Forrester; Sarah R Fritts; Travis Gallo; Brian D Gerber; Sean T Giery; Jessica L Glasscock; Alex D Gonatas; Anna C Grady; Austin M Green; Tremaine Gregory; Noel Griffin; Robert H Hagen; Christopher P Hansen; Lonnie P Hansen; Steven C Hasstedt; Haydée Hernández-Yáñez; Daniel J Herrera; Robert V Horan 3rd; Victoria L Jackson; Luanne Johnson; Mark J Jordan; Willaine Kahano; Joseph Kiser; Travis W Knowles; Molly M Koeck; Caroline Koroly; Kellie M Kuhn; Erin K Kuprewicz; Diana J R Lafferty; Scott D LaPoint; Marcus Lashley; Richard G Lathrop; Thomas E Lee Jr; Christopher A Lepczyk; Damon B Lesmeister; Jason V Lombardi; Robert A Long; Robert C Lonsinger; Paula MacKay; Sean P Maher; David S Mason; Joshua J Millspaugh; Remington J Moll; Jessica B Moon; Alessio Mortelliti; Alexis M Mychajliw; Christopher M Nagy; Sean A Neiswenter; Dana L Nelson; Claire E Nemes; Clayton K Nielsen; Elizabeth Olson; M Teague O'Mara; Brian J O'Neill; Blake R Page; Elizabeth Parsons; Brent S Pease; Mary E Pendergast; Mike Proctor; Heather Quick; Christine C Rega-Brodsky; Michael S Rentz; Kylie Rezendes; Daric Rich; Derek R Risch; Andrea Romero; Brigit R Rooney; Christopher T Rota; Corey A Samples; Christopher M Schalk; Çağan H Sekercioğlu; Maksim Sergeyev; Austin B Smith; Daniel S Smith; Jinelle H Sperry; Jennifer L Stenglein; Michael K Stokes; Johnathon S Stutzman; Kimberly R Todd; John P Vanek; Wren Varga; Zachary M Wardle; Stephen L Webb; Nathaniel H Wehr; Laura S Whipple; Christopher A Whittier; Jane S Widness; Jacque Williamson; Andrew M Wilson; Alexander J Wolf; Marketa Zimova; Adam S Zorn; William J McShea

doi:10.1002/ecy.4318

SNAPSHOT USA 2021: A third coordinated national camera trap survey of the United States

Ecology. 2024 Jun;105(6):e4318. doi: 10.1002/ecy.4318. Epub 2024 May 1.

Authors

Hila Shamon¹, Roi Maor^{1

2}, Michael V Cove³, Roland Kays^{3

4}, Jessie Adley⁵, Peter D Alexander⁶, David N Allen⁷, Maximilian L Allen^{8

9}, Cara L Appel^{10

11}, Evan Barr¹², Erika L Barthelmess¹³, Carolina Baruzzi¹⁴, Kelli Bashaw¹⁵, Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau^{16

17}, Madison E Baugh¹⁸, Jerrold Belant¹⁹, John F Benson²⁰, Bethany A Bespoyasny²¹, Tori Bird²², Daniel A Bogan²³, LaRoy S E Brandt^{24

25}, Claire E Bresnan^{1

26}, Jarred M Brooke²⁷, Frances E Buderman²⁸, Suzannah G Buzzell²⁹, Amanda E Cheeseman²¹, M Colter Chitwood³⁰, Petros Chrysafis³¹, Merri K Collins³², D Parks Collins³³, Justin A Compton³⁴, L Mike Conner³⁵, Olivia G Cosby¹, Stephanie S Coster³⁶, Benjamin Crawford⁹, Anthony P Crupi³⁷, Andrea K Darracq^{12

38}, Miranda L Davis³⁹, Brett A DeGregorio⁴⁰, Kimberly L Denningmann⁴¹, Kyle D Dougherty²⁰, Ace Driver⁴², Andrew J Edelman⁴³, E Hance Ellington⁴⁴, Susan N Ellis-Felege⁴⁵, Caroline N Ellison¹⁵, Jean E Fantle-Lepczyk⁴⁶, Zach J Farris⁴⁷, Jorie Favreau⁴⁸, Pilar Fernandez⁴⁹, M Caitlin Fisher-Reid⁵⁰, Matthew C Fitzpatrick⁵¹, Elizabeth A Flaherty²⁷, Tavis D Forrester⁵², Sarah R Fritts⁵³, Travis Gallo³², Brian D Gerber⁵, Sean T Giery⁵⁴, Jessica L Glasscock⁵⁵, Alex D Gonatas⁵⁰, Anna C Grady⁵⁶, Austin M Green⁵⁷, Tremaine Gregory¹, Noel Griffin^{3

4}, Robert H Hagen⁵⁸, Christopher P Hansen⁵⁹, Lonnie P Hansen⁵⁹, Steven C Hasstedt⁶⁰, Haydée Hernández-Yáñez¹, Daniel J Herrera³², Robert V Horan 3rd⁶¹, Victoria L Jackson¹⁸, Luanne Johnson⁶², Mark J Jordan⁶³, Willaine Kahano⁶⁴, Joseph Kiser³³, Travis W Knowles⁶⁵, Molly M Koeck³⁰, Caroline Koroly³³, Kellie M Kuhn⁶⁰, Erin K Kuprewicz^{39

66}, Diana J R Lafferty⁶⁷, Scott D LaPoint^{68

69}, Marcus Lashley⁷⁰, Richard G Lathrop⁷¹, Thomas E Lee Jr⁷², Christopher A Lepczyk⁴⁶, Damon B Lesmeister^{10

11}, Jason V Lombardi⁷³, Robert A Long⁷⁴, Robert C Lonsinger^{30

75}, Paula MacKay⁷⁴, Sean P Maher⁷⁶, David S Mason⁷⁰, Joshua J Millspaugh⁵⁹, Remington J Moll²⁹, Jessica B Moon^{12

38}, Alessio Mortelliti^{77

78}, Alexis M Mychajliw^{7

79}, Christopher M Nagy⁸⁰, Sean A Neiswenter⁶⁴, Dana L Nelson^{1

81}, Claire E Nemes⁵¹, Clayton K Nielsen^{16

82}, Elizabeth Olson⁶², M Teague O'Mara⁸³, Brian J O'Neill⁸⁴, Blake R Page⁵⁰, Elizabeth Parsons^{35

85}, Brent S Pease⁸², Mary E Pendergast⁸⁶, Mike Proctor⁸⁷, Heather Quick³³, Christine C Rega-Brodsky⁸⁸, Michael S Rentz⁴², Kylie Rezendes⁵, Daric Rich⁸⁹, Derek R Risch⁹⁰, Andrea Romero⁹¹, Brigit R Rooney⁹², Christopher T Rota⁹³, Corey A Samples⁸⁹, Christopher M Schalk⁵⁵, Çağan H Sekercioğlu^{57

94}, Maksim Sergeyev⁷⁷, Austin B Smith⁹⁵, Daniel S Smith⁸⁹, Jinelle H Sperry⁹⁶, Jennifer L Stenglein⁹⁷, Michael K Stokes⁹⁸, Johnathon S Stutzman¹, Kimberly R Todd¹, John P Vanek^{99

100}, Wren Varga¹⁰¹, Zachary M Wardle^{77

102}, Stephen L Webb^{102

103}, Nathaniel H Wehr¹⁹, Laura S Whipple⁶⁷, Christopher A Whittier¹⁰⁴, Jane S Widness¹⁰⁵, Jacque Williamson¹⁰⁶, Andrew M Wilson¹⁰⁷, Alexander J Wolf⁸⁹, Marketa Zimova¹⁰⁸, Adam S Zorn¹⁰⁹, William J McShea¹

Affiliations

¹ Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, Virginia, USA.
² Institute of Zoology, The Zoological Society of London, London, UK.
³ North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
⁴ Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
⁵ Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA.
⁶ Craighead Beringia South, Kelly, Wyoming, USA.
⁷ Department of Biology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont, USA.
⁸ Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois, USA.
⁹ Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
¹⁰ USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, Oregon, USA.
¹¹ Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA.
¹² Department of Biology, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, USA.
¹³ Biology Department and Nature Up North Program, St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York, USA.
¹⁴ Department of Wildlife Ecology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
¹⁵ Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Paducah, Texas, USA.
¹⁶ Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA.
¹⁷ School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA.
¹⁸ Department of Biology, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, Oklahoma, USA.
¹⁹ Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
²⁰ School of Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
²¹ Department of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota, USA.
²² Hogle Zoo, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
²³ Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Siena College, Loudonville, New York, USA.
²⁴ Department of Biology, Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, Tennessee, USA.
²⁵ Cumberland Mountain Research Center, Harrogate, Tennessee, USA.
²⁶ Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA.
²⁷ Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.
²⁸ Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
²⁹ Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, USA.
³⁰ Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA.
³¹ Predator Detection and Deterrence, Fresno, California, USA.
³² Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA.
³³ Department of Biology, Mitchell Community College, Statesville, North Carolina, USA.
³⁴ Biology and Chemistry Department, Springfield College, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA.
³⁵ The Jones Center at Ichauway, Newton, Georgia, USA.
³⁶ Biology Department, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia, USA.
³⁷ Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation, Douglas, Alaska, USA.
³⁸ Watershed Studies Institute, Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, USA.
³⁹ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA.
⁴⁰ US Geological Survey Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.
⁴¹ Participant volunteer, Laramie, Wyoming, USA.
⁴² Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
⁴³ Department of Natural Sciences, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia, USA.
⁴⁴ Range Cattle Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Ona, Florida, USA.
⁴⁵ Biology Department, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA.
⁴⁶ College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA.
⁴⁷ Department of Public Health & Exercise Science, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, USA.
⁴⁸ Paul Smith's College, Paul Smiths, New York, USA.
⁴⁹ Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA.
⁵⁰ Department of Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts, USA.
⁵¹ Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Frostburg, Maryland, USA.
⁵² USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula, Montana, USA.
⁵³ Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, USA.
⁵⁴ Eberly College of Science, Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
⁵⁵ Stephen F Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas, USA.
⁵⁶ Paul G. Allen School for Global Health, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA.
⁵⁷ School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
⁵⁸ Environmental Studies Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA.
⁵⁹ Wildlife Biology Program, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA.
⁶⁰ Department of Biology, United States Air Force Academy, Air Force Academy, Colorado, USA.
⁶¹ Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division, Brunswick, Georgia, USA.
⁶² BiodiversityWorks, Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, USA.
⁶³ Department of Biology, Seattle University, Seattle, Washington, USA.
⁶⁴ School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
⁶⁵ Department of Biology, Francis Marion University, Florence, South Carolina, USA.
⁶⁶ Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, Storrs, Connecticut, USA.
⁶⁷ Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Science Lab, Department of Biology, Northern Michigan University, Marqeutte, Michigan, USA.
⁶⁸ Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, New York, USA.
⁶⁹ Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Palisades, New York, USA.
⁷⁰ Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
⁷¹ Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
⁷² Department of Biology, Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas, USA.
⁷³ Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas, USA.
⁷⁴ Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, Washington, USA.
⁷⁵ US Geological Survey, Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA.
⁷⁶ Department of Biology, Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri, USA.
⁷⁷ Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA.
⁷⁸ Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
⁷⁹ Environmental Studies Program, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont, USA.
⁸⁰ Mianus River Gorge, Bedford, New York, USA.
⁸¹ Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA.
⁸² Forestry Program, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA.
⁸³ Department of Biological Sciences, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, Louisiana, USA.
⁸⁴ Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, Wisconsin, USA.
⁸⁵ Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
⁸⁶ Sageland Collaborative, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
⁸⁷ Noble Research Institute, LLC, Ardmore, Oklahoma, USA.
⁸⁸ Biology Department, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas, USA.
⁸⁹ Scenic Hudson, Poughkeepsie, New York, USA.
⁹⁰ Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
⁹¹ Department of Biological Sciences; Department of Geography, Geology, and Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, Wisconsin, USA.
⁹² Landowner, Whitefish, Montana, USA.
⁹³ Division of Forestry and Natural Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
⁹⁴ College of Sciences, Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey.
⁹⁵ Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA.
⁹⁶ U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Champaign, Illinois, USA.
⁹⁷ Office of Applied Science, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
⁹⁸ Department of Biology, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA.
⁹⁹ Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York, USA.
¹⁰⁰ SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York, USA.
¹⁰¹ School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA.
¹⁰² Natural Resources Institute, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
¹⁰³ Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
¹⁰⁴ Tufts Center for Conservation Medicine, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA.
¹⁰⁵ Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
¹⁰⁶ Wildlife Habitat Council, Bethesda, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
¹⁰⁷ Environmental Studies, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
¹⁰⁸ Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, USA.
¹⁰⁹ Huston-Brumbaugh Nature Center, University of Mount Union, Alliance, Ohio, USA.

PMID: 38693703
DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4318

Abstract

SNAPSHOT USA is a multicontributor, long-term camera trap survey designed to survey mammals across the United States. Participants are recruited through community networks and directly through a website application (https://www.snapshot-usa.org/). The growing Snapshot dataset is useful, for example, for tracking wildlife population responses to land use, land cover, and climate changes across spatial and temporal scales. Here we present the SNAPSHOT USA 2021 dataset, the third national camera trap survey across the US. Data were collected across 109 camera trap arrays and included 1711 camera sites. The total effort equaled 71,519 camera trap nights and resulted in 172,507 sequences of animal observations. Sampling effort varied among camera trap arrays, with a minimum of 126 camera trap nights, a maximum of 3355 nights, a median 546 nights, and a mean 656 ± 431 nights. This third dataset comprises 51 camera trap arrays that were surveyed during 2019, 2020, and 2021, along with 71 camera trap arrays that were surveyed in 2020 and 2021. All raw data and accompanying metadata are stored on Wildlife Insights (https://www.wildlifeinsights.org/), and are publicly available upon acceptance of the data papers. SNAPSHOT USA aims to sample multiple ecoregions in the United States with adequate representation of each ecoregion according to its relative size. Currently, the relative density of camera trap arrays varies by an order of magnitude for the various ecoregions (0.22-5.9 arrays per 100,000 km²), emphasizing the need to increase sampling effort by further recruiting and retaining contributors. There are no copyright restrictions on these data. We request that authors cite this paper when using these data, or a subset of these data, for publication. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government.

Keywords: Carnivora; Cetartiodactyla; Cingulata; Didelphimorphia; Lagomorpha; Rodentia; biodiversity; biogeography; camera traps; mammals.

MeSH terms

Animals
Ecosystem
Mammals
Photography*
United States

Abstract

MeSH terms

Grants and funding