Gallery: Secret Lives of Wild Animals Captured by 1 Million Camera-Trap Images
01jaguar-3
Thanks to motion-triggered digital camera traps, scientists have a powerful tool for studying reclusive animals in remote, inaccessible areas -- and also for generating animated .gifs of gorillas scratching their stomachs. Okay, perpetually looping scratching gorillas aren't the point of camera-trap research. But they're a very fun byproduct, along with up-close-and-personal photographs of animals glimpsed in unguarded moments. The jaguar above, filmed in Peru's Manu National Park, represents the [1 millionth image](http://www.conservation.org/newsroom/pressreleases/Pages/Tropical-Forest-Health-in-Focus--World%E2%80%99s-Largest--Camera-Trap-Study-Reports-1,000,000th-Photo.aspx) gathered by camera traps belonging to the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network. Managed by Conservation International, the network has [deployed camera traps](http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/366/1578/2703) across 16 sites in Asia, Africa and Latin America. At each site, the traps collect up to 60,000 images every year, a data deluge that's led to new statistical methods for [turning aggregated photos into rigorous assessments](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1574954111000549) of regional species health and biodiversity trends, or what they call an early-warning system for nature. The researchers hope camera traps will provide near-real-time feedback of changes that would otherwise take years or decades to quantify. On the following pages, Wired takes a tour of our favorite photos and animations from the project. __Above:__ Jaguar ------ Manu National Park, Peru.
02eastern-gorilla
Eastern gorilla --------------- Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda.
TEAM Network03southern-pig-tailed-macaque
Southern pig-tailed macaque --------------------------- [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/02/pig-tailed_macaque2.jpg) Pasoh Forest Reserve, Malaysia.
04african-forest-elephant
African forest elephant ----------------------- [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/02/elephant2.jpg) Nouabale Ndoki National Park, Republic of Congo.
TEAM Network05ocelot-2
Ocelot ------ Manaus, Brazil.
06chimpanzee-3
Chimpanzee ---------- [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/02/chimp1-ed.gif) Nouabale Ndoki National Park, Republic of Congo.
TEAM Network07south-american-coati
South American coati -------------------- Caxiuana National Forest, Brazil.
08olive-baboons-2
Olive baboons ------------- Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda.
TEAM Network09wild-boar
Wild Boar --------- Pasoh Forest Reserve, Malaysia.
TEAM Network10razor-billed-curassow
Razor-billed curassow --------------------- [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/02/razor-billed_curassow2.jpg) Caxiuana National Forest, Brazil.
11african-palm-civet-2
African palm civet ------------------ Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda.
