Animal Spies
Spy Orang (credit: Nature, A Spy in the Wild)
The use of non-invasive camera traps with cameras has been used to document the existence of new species or monitor wildlife behavior around the world. Think of watching video feeds of peregrine falcons hatching and learning to fly; night-time infrared photos of rare jaguars or snow leopards on a trail; or seeing wild orangutans build sleeping platforms to give an idea to the diversity of uses for these devices. The "traps" have become a major technology revolutionizing wildlife conservation, monitoring, and protection in the wild. Now, in a further advance that combines software programming, robotics, and miniaturized video cams has taken the monitoring concept to an entirely new level.
Animatronics, or 'spy animals', is the subject of a mini-series on Nature created from footage captured by the placement of robotic animals in natural, field settings. The results are amazing, very entertaining, and show how similar animal behaviors can be to our own. Your appreciation of wildlife will take on new meaning while watching responses to the robotic spies in their midst. WHB