The Effectiveness of Four Trap Types for Non-Volant Small Mammals
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Authors
Maiorana, Kathleen
Issue Date
2008
Type
Presentation
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The study of small mammals often depends upon sampling
the density of a population through trapping (Sealander and
James, 1958). Comparing different trap types provides
researchers with information about the value of using
different traps. Because each study site presents unique
conditions and small mammal communities, it is important
to compare the effectiveness of using different traps to
ensure that trapping provides the most complete picture of
the small mammal community (Woodman et al., 1996).
The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of
four different trapping methods at the study site. We
hypothesized that trap type is a factor in the quantity and
species of mammals caught during the trapping of nonvolant
small mammals in Rocky Mountain National Park
(RMNP) and Roosevelt National Forest (RNF).
The traps selected for comparison in this survey include:
large Sherman livetraps, standard Sherman livetraps, large
snaptraps and pitfall traps. Previous studies have shown
that snaptraps are most effective in sampling small mammal
populations (Woodman et al,. 1996).
We hypothesized that large snaptraps would be the most
effective trap type and would thus yield a higher number of
captures and a greater quantity of species, and thereby
provide a more complete sampling of the study site.
Through the examination of different trap types in RMNP
and RNF, researchers conducting future studies may have
a greater understanding of the value of utilizing different
sampling techniques for the small mammal communities in
these areas.
Description
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo, Mich. : Kalamazoo College.
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.