A camera trap at an Australian nature preserve captured an endangered species of wombat having a boisterous encounter with an echidna.
The rare encounter delighted conservationists in Australia. The spiny echidna seemingly wanted to play with the wombat, but the wombat was having none of it — kicking up dirt and getting visibly annoyed with the echidna.
Tim Flannery, a scientist at the Australian Museum in Sydney tells News Scientist he’s never seen anything like it. “It’s a nervous wombat and a happy echidna.”
The silly interaction on camera is joyous to watch but also instills a greater sense of comfort for conservationists in Australia, who have spent the past two decades attempting to build back the endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii) species. In the late 1990s, as few as 35 of these wombats were left, all living in a small reserve in Queensland. According to New Scientist, they were the rarest large mammals on Earth at that time.
Thankfully, due to conservation efforts, that number has grown to around 400.
“This is very heartening to see these wombats doing so well,” says Andy Howe at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy in Newcastle, Australia. Howe discovered the interaction after scrubbing through hundreds of hours of trail camera footage. The wombat’s young age, as evident in the video, serves as an indication that the population is reproducing and thriving in the area.
Camera traps, also known as trail cameras, play a huge role in conservation efforts worldwide. They allow wildlife researchers and conservationists to view endangered species in their natural habitats from afar, which could provide valuable insight into their behavior. Last week, one such camera captured a family of endangered panthers in Florida.
“It is important for [Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission] biologists to document panther reproduction,” the organization told the Miami New Times.
“Photos like these can indicate that panthers are reproducing.”
Trail camera technology has been improving over recent years, thanks to initiatives like Conservation AI in the United Kingdom, which is building Nvidia-powered camera units that can detect and identify endangered species in real time thanks to AI integration.
The ability for scientists to further study these endangered species through trap camera technology that can transmit data without needing WiFi or cellular coverage in remote areas is vital to ongoing conservation efforts.
Image credits: Featured Image by Brad Leue/Australian Wildlife Conservancy