Dehradun, April 15 -- Different animal species have distinguished ways of using the underpasses built along the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, a study conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, has revealed. It further mentioned that large herbivores dominate the crossings while several smaller and elusive species were recorded only rarely. According to the report titled "Landscapes Reconnected", the most frequent users of the underpasses were large ungulates. The Nilgai recorded the highest number of crossings with 12,432 captures, followed by the Sambar deer with 10,534 captures. Researchers said the high numbers indicate that these mitigation structures are playing a crucial role in enabling the movement of large herbivores across the highway. Among carnivores, the Golden jackal showed the highest activity with 4,812 captures, reflecting the adaptability of the species to landscapes influenced by human activity. Smaller mammals such as the Indian hare were also recorded frequently with 2,577 captures, while the Indian peafowl was documented 250 times. The study also reported 300 sightings of the Asian elephant using the crossing structures during the monitoring period, mostly recorded at dusk, dawn, and night when the human disturbances were minimal. In contrast, several species were recorded only rarely in the study. The Red junglefowl had the lowest presence with just two captures, while the Rusty-spotted cat was recorded only six times. The Indian leopard was also observed infrequently with 25 captures. High number of domestic animals, including over 9,500 cattle and 2,000 dogs, were also found to be using the underpasses. Researchers attributed the low detection of some species to their smaller population sizes, preference for undisturbed habitats and naturally elusive behaviour, which reduces the likelihood of them being captured by camera traps. The study, which monitored an 18-km stretch between Ganeshpur and Asharodi in the Shivalik Range, concluded that while the underpasses are widely used by several generalist and large herbivore species, some forest-dependent and elusive animals are still recorded only occasionally....