A new camera-trapping device, the Campascope, to study feeding behaviour of subterranean rodents

Abstract

Rodents are significant animals in the field of science and serve as common study models in several disciplines. However, their behaviours are challenging to observe in the wild due to their anti-predator behaviour, especially regarding feeding behaviour for subterranean species (voles, naked mole-rat). Nevertheless, feeding behaviour is crucial for the study of rodent ecology, including applied research on pest control, habitat management of endangered species, or more fundamental research on cyclical population dynamics. To address this issue, a tool was developed to test how wild voles interact with food. This novel camera trapping device was named the Campascope. Its utilisation enables the avoidance of captive conditions that could introduce biases and facilitates the testing of exogenous factors that may modify animals’ feeding behaviour, such as the floral composition of a meadow, distance from a landscape feature, or altitude. These exogenous factors are not easily testable in captivity. In this study, we successfully captured high-quality observations of the behaviour of the fossorial form of water voles, using the Campascope device. In this article, we present the features and application of the device on Arvicola amphibius, which may also be used for studying other small mammal species.