Monitoring of activity of medium-sized carnivores by using foto trap

Medium-sized carnivores (Carnivore), representative of which are also fox (Vulpes vulpes) and European badger (Meles meles), are represented in a rather high number in Slovenia. Both are dietary generalists and mostly eat everything available. These two species have very similar preferences in searching the most appropriate habitat. They like to inhabit ecologically diverse landscapes in vicinity of farmland the best. Their activity depends on the form of the habitat, population density, and the amount of food, which is a consequence of the first two factors. The purpose of the thesis was to research the activity of fox and badger, and to establish whether factors, such as social periods, temperature, precipitation, moon phases, and daylight, influence the activity. Collection of samples took place from the beginning of February to the end of May 2016 in the area of the Cadraska hosta in the vicinity of Sentjernej. I used a method of monitoring by using a photo trap in order to obtain the data. The data was then collected, classified by time, added notes, and statistically analysed. I established that the activity is influenced by factors, such as daylight, amount of precipitation, and social periods (in my case: mating period and a period of rearing season). Day and night activity were mainly changing in the case of fox, which had five offspring in May. In the case of badger this activity was not changed, and it took place only at night. The amount of precipitation influenced both species. Mainly serious precipitation decreased activity. We saw differences in activity in the period of changing dawn and dusk in both species. Exits from den depended on time of dusk and dawn in both species, badger and fox. Changes occurred only in the period of offspring´s activity in den, which forced the doe to leave the den with them and to be active. However, the factors moon phases and temperatures during my monitoring did not caused statistically important differences.