A Simplified Method for Extracting the Movement Trajectories of Small Aquatic Animals.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the motion behaviors of animals is crucial for unraveling the mechanisms underlying ethology across various domains, such as movement patterns, food detection, and defense strategies. In this study, we devised a simplified method enabling the movement of small animals to be tracked conveniently using high-resolution smartphone videos and freely available tracking software. Employing a laboratory video setup, we traced the swimming trajectory of the small copepod zooplankton Eodiaptomus japonicus, which has a body size of approximately 1 mm. From the tracked position data, we analyzed key motion parameters, including swimming distance, speed, and jump frequency. The results of our video analysis showed that adult female E. japonicus exhibited an average swimming speed of 9.8 m

SUBMITTER: Liu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12388259 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature