Question

A squirrel population is sampled using the mark and recapture method. Scientists captured and marked 40 squirrels. The next week, they captured 20 squirrels, 10 of which had marks. What is the estimated population size?

A) 40
B) 80
C) 200
D) 400

Answer 1

The estimated population size is 400 individuals.

Step-by-step explanation:

The estimated population size can be determined using the formula:

N = (M1 * M2) / R

where N is the population size, M1 is the number of individuals in the first sample, M2 is the number of individuals in the second sample that are marked, and R is the number of marked individuals recaptured in the second sample.

In this case, the initial sample had 40 marked squirrels, and in the second sample, 10 out of 20 squirrels were marked. Using the formula, the estimated population size is (40 * 20) / 10 = 400 individuals, so the correct answer is option D) 400.