The creators of the online database are already sorting through another 500,000 images held by the Smithsonian. They hope the site will eventually become the accepted home for hidden camera shots taken on animal research projects around the world.
"Hidden camera pictures provide a record, much like those old cabinets you pull out in museums, which have musty old stuffed squirrels in them, plus a bit of paper saying when and where it was killed," says Dr McShea. "They are incredibly valuable."