Arctic Ground Squirrel

Photo By: Wildlife Conservation Society

This photo shows an Arctic ground squirrel, once of the most important predators of ground-nesting birds in the Alaskan Arctic.

It's from a set of camera-trap photos set up by researchers associated with the Wildlife Conservation Society. The aim of the research was to identify predators of ground-nesting birds in the Alaskan Arctic, especially those predators considered "subsidized species." Subsidized species are those that benefit from human development. In more familiar lower-latitude "habitats" raccoons and crows are considered subsidized species, because both thrive in part by feeding off human refuse. In the Alaskan Arctic some of species that survive in large measure due to human energy industry damage local bird populations. In a sense, these subsidized species are a form of pollution.

> Related: The Best Camera Trap Animal Videos

COMMENTS ()