Keeping an eye (and ear) out for possums

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-07-18 03:00

New Zealand

PHOTO: Pixabay

Researchers regularly use sound recordings to monitor birds in New Zealand, but now, for the first time, they’re applying this technique to track pests. They have released a model that’s been fine-tuned to detect the presence or absence of possums in long-term field recordings with 98% accuracy. They say this method could be a new cost-effective option to add to current possum monitoring efforts.

Multimedia

Spectrogram of a possum vocalisation

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Supplementary Information , Web page Dataset of Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) vocalisations

Supplementary Information , Web page Possum Detector model

Other , Web page Listening Lab research group website

Journal/
conference: New Zealand Journal of Ecology

Organisation/s: University of Canterbury

Funder: This project was made possible through the Predator Free 2050 Limited Capabilities Development Funding as well as the Forest and Bird Stocker Scholarship.

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