We are in the process of uploading new camera-trap images from remote Wolf Volcano—featuring giant tortoises, yellow iguanas, and critically endangered pink iguanas— they will soon be available for you to explore and help classify! Thanks for your patience.
Also, this project recently migrated onto Zooniverse’s new architecture. For details, see here.
FAQ
FAQS
- Keep an eye out for those small lizards!
- The small birds, especially the finches, can be difficult to distinguish!
- What if I can’t identify an animal?
- Why do I sometimes see humans in the photo?
- What if I’d like to share an image with others?
- Why is it called Wolf Volcano?
Keep an eye out for those small lizards!
Lava lizards are small in size but abundant. Your eye will get trained on large colorful creatures like iguanas and tortoises moving past the camera, but keep an eye out for the "little guys" -- lava lizards usually scanning for insects or mates or intruders from the tops of rocks, roots, etc., generally at ground level. Although small there are lots of them and their total biomass is considerable. Also among them may be juvenile pink iguanas, which we are eager to document. Few have ever been seen.
The small birds, especially the finches, can be difficult to distinguish!
Most of the animals that appear in front of the cameras will be unambiguous. But the smaller birds, especially the various species of Darwin’s finches, can be tricky to tell apart, especially if they are flying or not facing the camera. Check out the field guide (click on tab on the right side of your screen) for more info on distinguishing these and other species and also the “often confused with …” guidance that is provided for each possible species choice.
The only other small birds you may also encounter are the three insect eaters – the Galapagos flycatcher, Darwin's flycatcher, and yellow warbler. These all have small flattish beaks useful for seizing insects, which separates them from the other birds, and otherwise look quite different from one another …the yellow warbler is, well, yellow (!), the flycatcher is large and generally erect in posture with a gray-yellow belly, and the warbler finch is diminutive, usually crouched in posture, and has a tawny or streaked belly.
Why is there no "I don't know" button? What if I can’t identify an animal?
Please give every image your best guess. It is better to have your best guess about the animal than no data at all. Fast moving animals can be a problem – especially birds flying past the camera. Several observers will make their best guess for each photo and we can use those guesses, even if they diverge, to inform a final decision. Note there are classification filters to help narrow the choices. The field guide can also help (tab on the right side of screen). But given that some of the small birds can be difficult to distinguish we have provided an "uncertain" choice for both Darwin's finches as well as "small birds" generally.
What if I see humans in the photo?
The only humans that you will see are the Park Rangers who occasionally check on the cameras. Nobody else is allowed in this area.
What if I need help classifying an image?
You can share images of interest by clicking "Done & Talk" instead of "Done." This way you can get feedback from other users and research team members.
What if I’d like to share an image with others?
You can use a hashtag to share a photo with others. Use a pound sign (#) and a word (with no spaces) to add a hashtag to the photo, e.g., for a tortoise add the hashtag #tortoise. You can also post images to ask others for help using #whatis. Use #supersnap to highlight photos that are particularly noteworthy to other Zooniverse participants.
Why is it called Wolf Volcano?
There are no wolves here! The volcano is named in honor of Franz Theodor Wolf -- German naturalist who studied the Galápagos Islands during the late nineteenth century.