A study by Washington State University and the Panthera organization found that the places where leopards urinate or defecate are the perfect meeting points for dozens of animals.
The researchers studied 4 ‘toilets’ (cataloged in the study as latrines) in a forest in eastern Costa Rica. Cameras, traps and other devices helped scientists to determine that individuals such as cats, opossums or armadillos arrived at these places.
Travis King, a graduate student at University of Washington in Pullman, explained that observing these places will strengthen the research on the behavior of other animals in tropical forests.
Knowing where these species come together gives conservationists the opportunity to observe the animals over time, learning more about them and monitoring the impact of human development,”
expressed King.