In 1993 to 1996, dusky-footed woodrats (Neotoma fuscipes) were tracked using night-vision goggles, light tags (LED with battery), and fluorescent powder to better understand their microhabitat use. Tracking was conducted in 3 oak woodland study sites in the southern Sierra Nevada, 16 m northeast of Fresno, California. Night-vision goggles were not very useful for direct observation because of their limited visual range. Light tags were highly visible and provided both temporal and spatial information on microhabitat use. Times and durations of activities could not be determined using fluorescent powder, and due to its poor adherence to thin branches, it provided limited information on the woodrats' microhabitat locations. However, combining powder tracking data with light-tag tracking data provided detailed information on the dusky-footed woodrat's 3-dimensional use of oak woodlands.
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