Social media as a tool to understand the distribution and ecology of elusive mammals

Abstract

Comparatively little is known about the distribution and ecology of Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) and Temminck’s Ground Pangolin (Smutsia temminckii). Both are elusive species that are normally nocturnal, solitary, and fossorial. Formally collected records have been used to map the distribution of these species, and social media records provide a tool to gather information on their distribution and ecology. We obtained 680 photographs and videos of aardvarks and 790 of ground pangolins in southern Africa from publicly available posts on Facebook and Instagram (2010–2019). The images provide new insights into the distribution, activity, drinking, and predation—and confirm that aardvarks are more diurnally active when they are in poor body condition. Social media can provide useful supplementary information for understanding of elusive mammals. These “soft” data can be applied to other species.