Here’s why 2019 was a Great Year for iNaturalist:
1,070,579 observations
17,328 species
1,429,283 identifications
These are huge numbers – in fact, the number of observations in Canada more than doubled in 2019!
So what have we learned from these numbers?
Time of Year is Key
The most observations were logged between July and September, with the fewest made between November and April.
iNaturalist is Everywhere
Observations have been made in every province and territory.
Newly Added Species
4,640 new species were added to the iNaturalist Canada database in 2019, with the most species added between June and September.
Most Common and Favourite Observations
We love to see users have some fun with their observations while still providing good quality, identifiable pictures. Check out some incredible observations here:
Why use iNaturalist?
By logging observations of species you see, you are contributing to scientific knowledge and wildlife conservation. Every observation contributes to our understanding of biodiversity. For example, CWF biologists use iNaturalist observations of turtles and bats from across Canada.
For turtles, we use information about turtle species and their location to add to a database with the goal of expanding protected habitat. Our CWF Turtle Team can’t survey every single road in Ontario for turtle sightings, so iNaturalist is one of the most important tools we use to track turtle sightings and their location.
Observing bats is a bit trickier since these little mammals only come out at night. We use iNaturalist to encourage people with bats on their property to document them and to keep track of returning bats year after year. You can help us with this task by installing a bat house on your property and monitoring it using iNaturalist.
If these aren’t good enough reasons to use iNaturalist, consider the thought that your observation might be groundbreaking! Did you know? A “Canadian first” happened in Ontario when someone took a photo of a crayfish and identified it as a common species of crayfish in the area. But a researcher who saw the observation was astounded to find it was actually a different species of crayfish – the first to ever be spotted in Canada. That is a pretty cool title to hold!
See Your 2019 Stats
If you’re a longtime iNaturalist user who has logged several species, how do you see what you contributed in 2019? You can view your personal contributions by following this link.
Get started! You can start logging your observations on iNaturalist.ca right now!
Jerika Bradford
Jerika is the Social and Digital Media Manager at the Canadian Wildlife Federation. When she’s not planning her next big adventure, you can find her outdoors with her trusted Labrador Retriever sidekick, Brynn, or indoors piecing together her family ancestry.
