What is the estimated number of animals in a forest using a Poisson model?

[EvLer]

I am not sure which distribution this is:
there are N animals in a forest, we don't know N but would like to estimate it... so, I need to select a model (distribution)

ps: i am trying to avoid Normal distribution...

 

[ssd]

Are you permitted to capture and mark animals? If yes, using hypergeometric distbn. we can estimate N.

 

[EvLer]

doesn't say anything about marking, i think they just count it in an area over time, that's my assumption, but the problem does not say. So, perhaps Poisson?