Dogs can detect scat samples more efficiently than humans: an experiment in a continuous Atlantic Forest remnant
Scat-detection dogs have been used to locate feces of rare and elusive species across tropical biomes. However their detection efficiency in relation to human observers has rarely been evaluated. In this study, we evaluated the ability of a scat detection dog to locate feces in comparison with human...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Sociedade Brasileira de Zoologia
2012-04-01
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| Series: | Zoologia (Curitiba) |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1984-46702012000200012 |
| _version_ | 1797967126577807360 |
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| author | Márcio L. de Oliveira Darren Norris José F. M. Ramírez Pedro H. de F. Peres Mauro Galetti José M. B. Duarte |
| author_facet | Márcio L. de Oliveira Darren Norris José F. M. Ramírez Pedro H. de F. Peres Mauro Galetti José M. B. Duarte |
| author_sort | Márcio L. de Oliveira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Scat-detection dogs have been used to locate feces of rare and elusive species across tropical biomes. However their detection efficiency in relation to human observers has rarely been evaluated. In this study, we evaluated the ability of a scat detection dog to locate feces in comparison with human researchers. Human researchers and a scat detection dog surveyed for deer (Mazama spp.) feces in dense ombrofilous Atlantic forest in the Paranapiacaba continuum, SP, Brazil. A controlled experiment was used to assess the maximum effective perpendicular distance from a transect search line that the dog could detect a Mazama spp fecal sample. Results from a linear regression model revealed that the maximum effective perpendicular distance from a transect search line that the dog could detect a scat was 7.2 m. The detection success from our surveys in the Atlantic forest was zero for humans and 0.15 samples/ha or 0.20 samples/km walked for the dog team. Our results demonstrated the importance of scat-detection dogs for non invasive sampling and provide data relevant for the design of future studies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T02:26:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cd97a807a9ca4bfe924be468c79bb73f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1984-4670 1984-4689 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T02:26:17Z |
| publishDate | 2012-04-01 |
| publisher | Sociedade Brasileira de Zoologia |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Zoologia (Curitiba) |
| spelling | doaj.art-cd97a807a9ca4bfe924be468c79bb73f2023-01-02T22:42:14ZengSociedade Brasileira de ZoologiaZoologia (Curitiba)1984-46701984-46892012-04-01292183186doi: 10.1590/S1984-46702012000200012Dogs can detect scat samples more efficiently than humans: an experiment in a continuous Atlantic Forest remnantMárcio L. de OliveiraDarren NorrisJosé F. M. RamírezPedro H. de F. PeresMauro GalettiJosé M. B. DuarteScat-detection dogs have been used to locate feces of rare and elusive species across tropical biomes. However their detection efficiency in relation to human observers has rarely been evaluated. In this study, we evaluated the ability of a scat detection dog to locate feces in comparison with human researchers. Human researchers and a scat detection dog surveyed for deer (Mazama spp.) feces in dense ombrofilous Atlantic forest in the Paranapiacaba continuum, SP, Brazil. A controlled experiment was used to assess the maximum effective perpendicular distance from a transect search line that the dog could detect a Mazama spp fecal sample. Results from a linear regression model revealed that the maximum effective perpendicular distance from a transect search line that the dog could detect a scat was 7.2 m. The detection success from our surveys in the Atlantic forest was zero for humans and 0.15 samples/ha or 0.20 samples/km walked for the dog team. Our results demonstrated the importance of scat-detection dogs for non invasive sampling and provide data relevant for the design of future studies.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1984-46702012000200012Deerfecal samplesMazamasampling |
| spellingShingle | Márcio L. de Oliveira Darren Norris José F. M. Ramírez Pedro H. de F. Peres Mauro Galetti José M. B. Duarte Dogs can detect scat samples more efficiently than humans: an experiment in a continuous Atlantic Forest remnant Zoologia (Curitiba) Deer fecal samples Mazama sampling |
| title | Dogs can detect scat samples more efficiently than humans: an experiment in a continuous Atlantic Forest remnant |
| title_full | Dogs can detect scat samples more efficiently than humans: an experiment in a continuous Atlantic Forest remnant |
| title_fullStr | Dogs can detect scat samples more efficiently than humans: an experiment in a continuous Atlantic Forest remnant |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dogs can detect scat samples more efficiently than humans: an experiment in a continuous Atlantic Forest remnant |
| title_short | Dogs can detect scat samples more efficiently than humans: an experiment in a continuous Atlantic Forest remnant |
| title_sort | dogs can detect scat samples more efficiently than humans an experiment in a continuous atlantic forest remnant |
| topic | Deer fecal samples Mazama sampling |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1984-46702012000200012 |
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