Crittercam
A Crittercam (from English: critter for "creature", "Viech" and cam , short for "camera") is a small camera that is attached to an animal over a certain period of time in order to get an insight into the behavior of this species .
Especially since the animals feel undisturbed because there is no camera team or researchers present, this enables significantly deeper insights into species behavior .
During the period of attachment, Crittercams continuously record the animal's surroundings (usually its field of vision). Prey behavior, care for offspring , territorial fights , pack and stray behavior can be experienced up close.
Crittercams have to meet high requirements in order to ensure continuous use in the wild. Above all, this includes water and shock resistance, and in current versions also a digital image stabilizer to dampen the animal's own movements and the associated "image jolting".
Crittercams are usually attached to animals with short-haired fur (e.g. seals ) with a 2-component adhesive . They then detach themselves after a while and can be collected using GPS tracking.
However, the adhesive attachment is too unreliable for bears and other animals with long-haired fur. A belt attachment is mostly used here. Therefore, these animals must also be captured and stunned to remove the Crittercam.
For animals with smooth skin (e.g. whales ), it can also be attached using a suction cup .
