a group of scientist tag and released 27 otters as part of a research project later they counted 800 otters 12 of which hair tags what is the estimated population of otters?

Answer 1

To estimate the population of otters using the data provided, we can use the Lincoln-Petersen index, which is commonly used in ecology for estimating wildlife populations. The basic formula is:

\[ \text{Population Estimate} = \frac{(M \times C)}{R} \]

where:

• \(M\) = the number of individuals that were initially tagged and released (27 otters in this case),
• \(C\) = the total number of individuals captured in the second sample (800 otters),
• \(R\) = the number of tagged individuals recaptured in the second sample (12 otters).

Now, plug in the values:

\[ \text{Population Estimate} = \frac{(27 \times 800)}{12} \]

Calculating this:

\[ \text{Population Estimate} = \frac{21600}{12} = 1800 \]

Therefore, the estimated population of otters is approximately 1800.