A bobcat caught on a trail camera in Trempealeau County. In addition to being smaller than cougars, bobcats are recognizable for their short -- or "bobbed" -- tails.
Primary growth forest, where the herbaceous layer stays relatively low to the ground, makes for great opportunities to capture wildlife, such as this fisher photographed near a Door County brook.
A white buck, a black wolf, a golden eagle. Moose, fishers, badgers, and — finally — a cougar. These are some of the millions of animals captured and catalogued over the past four years by a network of trail cameras throughout Wisconsin.
Launched in 2016, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has collected more than 50 million photos through Snapshot Wisconsin, a citizen-science initiative to catalog wildlife.
Trail cameras, triggered by motion and heat, snap photos of animals (and occasionally people) as they pass by. The photos — about 45,000 per day — are uploaded into a crowdsourcing platform called Zooniverse, where people all over the world can browse through and help classify the species and note characteristics such as gender and age.
This male cougar, likely from the Dakotas, photographed in Waupaca County, is one of only two captured by a network of 2,100 volunteer trail cams in the Department of Natural Resource's Snapshot Wisconsin project.
About 1,800 volunteers host more than 2,100 trail cameras in all 72 counties.
The DNR uses the data to better understand animal populations and movements, estimate deer and elk populations and inform wildlife management decisions.
Data are also posted to an online dashboard where people can see where animals have been found and track their activity by time of day.
“These trail cams act as fixed points on the landscape. It helps us to capture this really long-term dataset across the state,” said project coordinator Christine Anhalt-Depies.
Anhalt-Depies said the cameras have captured most mammals and large birds that would be expected in Wisconsin.
A bull elk in Sawyer County. Snapshot Wisconsin has been used to help monitor elk herds reintroduced to the state.
Squirrel and deer are among the most common species, but trail cams have captured bear, wolves and badgers, too, as well as some rarely seen creatures such as fishers, moose and marten and, just this year, a cougar prowling through Waupaca County.
“It took us a couple of years and 2,100 trail cameras to get there,” Anhalt-Depies said. “But we did this year capture one.”
To celebrate the 50 millionth photo, Anhalt-Depies and her team put together a gallery of their favorite shots from each county.
They aren’t just mugshots, either.
Not only does this Marquette County image show an uninhibited moment between two red foxes; it also showcases the distinct pelage of this iconic Wisconsin species.
A pair of red foxes fight in Marquette County. A bear and coyote cross paths in Juneau County, while an Adams County gobbler fans his tail for a nonplussed hen. A short-tailed weasel scampers across the snows of Ashland County, barely distinguishable from its background except for the black tip of its tail.
Anhalt-Depies, who earned a PhD studying citizen science at UW-Madison’s Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, said most volunteers are interested in learning more about local wildlife and helping to protect natural resources.
“This is a really tangible way for people to get involved with DNR wildlife research,” she said. “Anyone around the world can then help. We do have folks from all around the world helping to classify. No special training is needed.”
There is also a large contingent of educators, such as Tim Sprain, a seventh-grade science teacher from La Crosse who monitors three cameras with his students.
A self-described farm kid who grew up hunting and trapping before studying wolves in college, Sprain said the cameras fit into his philosophy of engaging youths through experiential learning.
“They just can’t wait — most of them are city kids,” Sprain said. “Even the country kids get so darn excited when they see something they can’t identify.”
Sprain, whose Jackson County camera has photographed bobcats and wolves, said the most exciting moment was catching a fisher on a camera in Hixon Forest, an 800-acre park within the city limits.
“I feel like it’s opened up a path for a lot of our kids,” Sprain said. “This overemphasis on literacy — it’s important, but it has unintentionally de-emphasized the rest of life. These are science skills that would lead to a passion and a profession.”
[Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the department where Christine Anhalt-Depies earned her PhD. It was at UW-Madison’s Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology.]
A wild turkey tom displays his feathers for a hen in Adams County. Male turkeys strut to attract females and to establish dominance over subordinate males. On adult males, like the one pictured, the tail forms a full, unbroken contour when fanned out. On juvenile males, the middle 4-6 tail feathers are longer than the outer feathers, so the tail appears uneven when fanned out.
A long-tailed weasel, one of three weasel species in Wisconsin, dashes through the snow in Ashland County in a trail cam photo from the Snapshot Wisconsin collection.
A porcupine photographed in Bayfield County. Volunteers say the lumbering gait is a key characteristic to identifying porcupines -- that, and the sharp quills.
A pair of Clark County bear cubs wrestle near the end of their first summer. Black bear cubs weigh a pound or less when they're born during the winter but grow quickly after emerging from the den.
A muskrat captured in Dane County.
Primary growth forest, where the herbaceous layer stays relatively low to the ground, makes for great opportunities to capture wildlife, such as this fisher photographed near a Door County brook.
A pack of coyote cubs prowl through the woods of Iowa County.
Moose are an uncommon sight in Wisconsin, but the number of moose observations in the Snapshot Wisconsin database more than doubled in 2020, with at least four photographed in September and October across Iron, Price, and Burnett Counties.
Trail cams sometimes capture more than one species in a frame, though rarely a predator. This Juneau County shot captured two -- as a black bear and coyote cross paths.
Predator and prey come together in this La Crosse County image of a barred owl carrying off a fresh catch.
Introduced to Wisconsin in the late 1800s, the ring-necked pheasant can be distinguished from other upland game birds by its long, pointed tail. This Lafayette County pheasant makes a rare appearance after snowfall.
Not only does this Marquette County image show an uninhibited moment between two red foxes; it also showcases the distinct pelage of this iconic Wisconsin species.
A Virginia opossum carries her young on her back in this Milwuakee County image. North America's only marsupial, Opossums carry their young in a pouch until they are old enough to cling to their mother's back.
The color of wolves' coats can vary widely. Black (melanistic) wolves, are less common than those sporting the traditional grizzled coat, so staff and volunteers enjoy coming across photos like this one. The unusual eye color of this Oneida County wolf is especially noteworthy.
A deer, rabbit and skunk cross paths in this Pepin County photo. Only about 0.2% of Snapshot Wisconsin photos contain multiple species.
Greater prairie chickens lekking in Portage County. Snapshot Wisconsin teamed up with wildlife management to use trail cameras to monitor leks, such as this one, where male birds display to attract females.
A Racine County mink captured in a rare still moment. Mink are often captured at night or in motion, making it difficult to distinguish their features.
Perhaps less recognized than their relatives the hairy and downy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers are nonetheless relatively common and widespread across the state. This action shot from Richland County showcases the red caps and beautiful checkered plumage.
Wisconsin's mascot is typically seen at night, but this Sauk County badger photo shows off its fantastic markings in the daylight.
A bull elk in Sawyer County. Snapshot Wisconsin has been used to help monitor elk herds reintroduced to the state.
A bobcat caught on a trail camera in Trempealeau County. In addition to being smaller than cougars, bobcats are recognizable for their short -- or "bobbed" -- tails.
The American marten is extremely rare in Wisconsin. In more than 50 million photos, this 2019 shot from Vilas County is the only one to capture one -- or at least part of one.
This white buck was captured by a Snapshot Wisconsin camera in Waukesha County. Wisconsin law forbids hunting white deer.
This male cougar, likely from the Dakotas, photographed in Waupaca County, is one of only two captured by a network of 2,100 volunteer trail cams in the Department of Natural Resource's Snapshot Wisconsin project.
Chris Hubbuch | Wisconsin State Journal
Covers energy and the environment for the Wisconsin State Journal. Rhymes with Lubbock. Contact him at 608-252-6146.
