Forces experienced by instrumented animals depend on lifestyle
Preprint 2020 en
Authors
RW
Rory P. Wilson
KR
Kayleigh A. R. Rose
RG
Richard Gunner
Abstract
1 min read
Abstract Animal-attached devices have transformed our understanding of vertebrate ecology. However, to be acceptable, researchers must minimize tag-related harm. The long-standing recommendation that tag masses should not exceed 3% of the animal’s body mass ignores tag forces generated by movement. We used collar-attached accelerometers on four free-ranging carnivores, spanning two orders of magnitude in mass, to reveal that during movement, forces exerted by ‘3%’ tags were generally equivalent to 4-19% of the animals’ masses, with a record of 54% in a hunting cheetah. Controlled studies on domestic dogs revealed how the tag forces are dictated by animal gait and speed but appear largely invariant of body mass. This fundamentally changes how acceptable tag mass limits should be determined, requiring cognizance of animal athleticism. One Sentence Summary There can be no universal rule for collar-tag masses as a percentage of carrier mass since tag forces depend on lifestyle.
Rory P. Wilson, Kayleigh A. R. Rose, Richard Gunner, Mark D. Holton, Nikki J. Marks, Nigel C. Bennett, Stephen H. Bell, Joshua P. Twining, Jamie Hesketh, Carlos M. Duarte, Neil E. Bezodis, Miloš Ježek, Michael S. Painter, Václav Silovský, Margaret C. Crofoot, Roi Harel, John P. Y. Arnould, Blake M. Allan, Desley A. Whisson, Abdulaziz N. Alagaili, D. Michael Scantlebury
Rory P. Wilson, Kayleigh A. R. Rose, Richard Gunner, Mark D. Holton, Nikki J. Marks, Nigel C. Bennett, Stephen H. Bell, Joshua P. Twining, Jamie Hesketh, Carlos M. Duarte, Neil E. Bezodis, Miloš Ježek, Michael S. Painter, Václav Silovský, Margaret C. Crofoot, Roi Harel, John P. Y. Arnould, Blake M. Allan, Desley A. Whisson, Abdulaziz N. Alagaili, D. Michael Scantlebury
Rory P. Wilson, Luca Börger, Mark D. Holton, D. Michael Scantlebury, Agustina Gómez‐Laich, Flavio Quintana, Frank Rosell, Patricia Graf, Hannah J. Williams, Richard Gunner, Lloyd W. Hopkins, Nikki J. Marks, Nathan R. Geraldi, Carlos M. Duarte, Rebecca Scott, Michael S. Strano, Hermina Robotka, Christophe Eizaguirre, Andreas Fahlman, Emily L. C. Shepard
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