carrion_arrivals: Vertebrate scavenger visits to roe deer carrion

In ecoteach: Educational Datasets for Ecology and Agriculture

Vertebrate scavenger visits to roe deer carrion

Description

This dataset contains observations of vertebrate scavenger activity at roe deer evisceration residues (carrion) in a central European mountainous mixed forest. The data was collected from 47 roe deer viscera samples from hunted deer that were exposed to vertebrate scavenging in front of camera traps between May and October 2022. The dataset records visits, feeding, and removal events by various vertebrate scavengers, with events considered independent if more than 20 minutes passed between consecutive pictures. Samples were observed for a maximum of 16 days. The data provides insights into the composition of vertebrate scavenging fauna using evisceration residues, which species remove entire samples, and how long viscera remain available to invertebrate scavengers.

Usage

carrion_arrivals

Format

A data frame with 599 rows and 7 variables:

Samples

Sample site identifier (factor)

Dates Setup

Date when camera and sample were set up (Date)

Date Event

Date when the scavenging event was recorded (Date)

Time

Time when the scavenging event was recorded (hms)

Species

Species of scavenger observed (factor)

Behaviour

Type of behavior observed: Visit, Feeding, or Removal (factor)

Days2

Time elapsed in days between sample exposure and detected event (numeric)

Source

Schwegmann, Sebastian (2023). Data for: Use of viscera from hunted roe deer by vertebrate scavengers in summer in central European mountainous mixed forest. Dryad Digital Repository. \Sexpr[results=rd]{tools:::Rd_expr_doi("10.5061/DRYAD.Q573N5TPP")}

Examples

# Load the dataset
data(carrion_arrivals)

# Basic exploration
head(carrion_arrivals)
summary(carrion_arrivals)

# Count observations by species
table(carrion_arrivals$Species)

# Compare behaviors by species
table(carrion_arrivals$Species, carrion_arrivals$Behaviour)

# Calculate average days until first scavenger arrival by species
library(dplyr)
carrion_arrivals %>%
  group_by(Species) %>%
  summarize(mean_days = mean(Days2, na.rm = TRUE)) %>%
  arrange(mean_days)

# Visualize scavenger activity over time
if (require(ggplot2)) {
  ggplot(carrion_arrivals, aes(x = Days2, fill = Species)) +
    geom_histogram(binwidth = 1, position = "stack") +
    labs(title = "Scavenger activity over time",
         x = "Days since carrion placement",
         y = "Number of observations")
}

ecoteach documentation built on June 29, 2025, 5:08 p.m.