Arboreal camera trapping: taking a proven method to new heights

1. Although camera trapping has been shown to be a highly effective non-invasive tool for wildlife monitoring, the technique has not yet been widely applied to studies of arboreal species. Despite the unique challenges that camera trapping in the canopy poses, its versatility and relatively non-invasive nature, combined with recent technological improvements on the cameras themselves, make camera trapping a highly useful tool for arboreal research. 2. We present data on the methodology and effectiveness of arboreal camera trapping during the first six months of a year-long study in the Lower Urubamba Region of Peru investigating animal use of natural crossing points (i.e., branches) over a natural gas pipeline clearing. We placed Reconyx PC800 Hyperfire cameras in 25 crossing points of 13 distinct natural canopy bridges at a mean height of 26.8m. 3. After six months of data collection, we logged 1,522 photo events, recording 20 mammal, 23 bird, and four reptile species. An analysis of a...