Practice question

Direct sighting often underestimates cryptic or nocturnal mammals. Indirect signs including fecal pellets, tracks, and diggings persist longer. Pellet group counts involve sampling plots or transects counting dung groups to index abundance. Defecation rate multiplied by decomposition correction yields population estimates for deer and rabbits. Radio telemetry tracks tagged individuals, mark-recapture requires capturing animals, and camera trapping records images. Pellet counts are cost-effective, non-invasive, and avoid capture stress, providing reliable density approximation when animal visibility is low and field conditions allow pellet persistence.