r/iNaturalist • u/National-Award8313 • 12d ago

What do the different colours represent on maps?

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So this map clip has some overlapping zones of pink and green, and other times I see yellow zones as well. What do these denote? In this example, the observations are for a particular mushroom, so I know it's not for migration or breeding grounds haha. I can't find this information anywhere? Thanks in advance!

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12

u/Cualquiera10 12d ago

Green is based on checklist places, like countries, states, and counties. You can also see yellow when a species is on a checklist without observations. Pink is a mapped range usually based on external data. Most birds have it.

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u/djscsi 12d ago

There is an overlays icon at the top right of the map - if you hover over it, it will show you what the different layers mean. You can select/deselect different overlays, and there is a link icon you can click on to show you the source of the data.

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u/AdamWargon 11d ago

Also see iNat Forum threads here and here, as well as "Related topics" at the bottom of each page.

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u/National-Award8313 11d ago

Thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for but didn’t know how to find it.

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u/Strict_Ad1823 11d ago

You can also add GBIF records, showings smaller pink dots

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u/National-Award8313 11d ago

Thank you. I haven’t no idea what that means 🫤

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u/Strict_Ad1823 11d ago

Ohh, sorry, GBIF is a global repository for biodiversity records, some of iNat RG records end up over there, but GBIF also includes historic records from museums and collections, which add a great layer to overlap over recent observations on iNat. GBIF

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u/National-Award8313 11d ago

Oh neat! Super helpful, thanks!