Greater activity and a more frequent nocturnal lifestyle were the habits of mammals during lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the results of a study conducted by a team of scientists involving researchers from the University of Warsaw (UW). The findings are described in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

A team of scientists with the participation of Kinga Stępniak and Dr Tom A. Diserens from the UW analysed the footage collected through hidden cameras. They recorded 163 mammal species living in twenty-one countries. The researchers compared data on the habits of animals before the pandemic and during the lockdowns to determine how changes in human activities affected animal behaviour.

“The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the ‘anthropause’, a time of reduced human activity. This has provided us with insights into mammalian behaviour, which may help to better protect species that are particularly sensitive to human presence”, said Kinga Stępniak from