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) 120
d) 200

Answer 1

The estimated population size is 80 squirrels.

Step-by-step explanation:

The estimated population size can be determined using the mark and recapture method. In this case, 40 squirrels were captured and marked in the first sample.

In the second sample, 20 squirrels were captured, of which 10 had marks. Using the equation (N1 * N2) / M, where N1 is the number of marked animals in the first sample, N2 is the total number of animals captured in the second sample, and M is the number of marked animals in the second sample, we can estimate the population size.

Plugging in the values, we get (40 * 20) / 10 = 80. Therefore, the estimated population size is 80 squirrels.