The Wildlife Watcher is an innovative, AI-powered, open-source smart camera trap developed to overcome the limitations of traditional wildlife monitoring methods.
It integrates embedded machine learning for real-time species identification and features modular sensors capable of monitoring diverse taxa, including small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.
This rugged device processes images directly on the unit, sending immediate wireless alerts, which significantly reduces manual effort and operational costs.
ESSENTIAL BIODIVERSITY
Insects and reptiles represent a crucial part of our biodiversity.
They are involved in numerous ecosystem process like nutrient cycling, predation, and plant pollination.
CRYPTIC SPECIES
Their camouflage skills and small size often contributes to insufficient information about their ecology and conservation status.
OLD SCHOOL TOOLS
Current monitoring techniques of insects, reptiles and their predators have multiple limitations and drawbacks.
CAMERA TRAPS?
Camera traps are a great potential tool to understand how to protect insect and reptile species.
Unfortunately, most commercially available cameras do not work for ectotherms (cold-blooded animals).
We are engineering and testing a device that takes videos of ground-dwelling invertebrates and herpetofauna (lizards/geckos).
The device is designed to be low-powered, open source and 3D print available.
See below some examples of the animals recorded.
Meet our rangers, alumni and project collaborators
Meet our partners and sponsors making this project possible.
PROJECT NEWS
Streamlining Wildlife Watcher Development with Docker
Wildlife.ai relies on a global network of volunteer developers, data rangers, to build firmware for wildlife monitoring systems. To support this global team of volunteers and address the challenges of inconsistent development environments, we have implemented a Docker-based workflow. This solution streamlines onboarding, improves collaboration, and makes development more efficient and resilient.
Wildlife.ai Product Showcase – March 2025
On March 31, the Wildlife.ai team gathered again for the monthly Product Showcase, sharing updates, challenges, and collaborative successes across three key projects: Wildlife Watcher, Spyfish Aotearoa, and Wild About AI.
Gecko monitoring: Choosing the right software to analyse Wildlife Watcher photos
Camera traps are revolutionising wildlife conservation, but sifting through mountains of data can be a real challenge. To help streamline this process for our Wildlife Watchers, we explored a variety of software solutions, [...]
