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Agent skill

Inaturalist API

by wentorai in wentorai/research-plugins

Citizen science platform API for biodiversity observations. An agent skill from wentorai/research-plugins.

MITAuto-check passedBackend & APIs

Install Inaturalist API

skills CLI
$ npx skills add wentorai/research-plugins --skill inaturalist-api -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install wentorai/research-plugins inaturalist-api --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/wentorai/research-plugins.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/domains/ecology/inaturalist-api .claude/skills/inaturalist-api && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
inaturalist-api
GitHub stars
298
Used in
1 other repo
Token cost
~2k tokens
SKILL.md length
599 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
405
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Citizen science platform API for biodiversity observations. An agent skill from wentorai/research-plugins.

  • Backend & APIs work in your project
  • SKILL.md covers Overview, Authentication, Core Endpoints and Rate Limits, plus 2 more sections
  • Calls curl; reaches api.inaturalist.org

What it does

Inaturalist API is an agent skill from wentorai/research-plugins. Citizen science platform API for biodiversity observations

Its SKILL.md is about 2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Backend & APIs. The repository describes itself as: 350+ academic research skills, MCP configs, and plugins for Research-Claw and AI agents. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Backend & APIs work in your project

Example prompts

  • “/inaturalist-api”

Requirements

  • Python 3

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit bf44b3c. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • curl

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Hosts in commands or code, which the agent is likely to contact:

    • api.inaturalist.org

    Also links to:

    • inaturalist.org

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Inaturalist API loads about 2k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 19 tokens; SKILL.md has 599 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~19
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~2k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from wentorai/research-plugins at commit bf44b3c, republished under its MIT licence (© wentorai). 599 words, ~2,002 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/inaturalist-api/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
inaturalist-api
description
Citizen science platform API for biodiversity observations

iNaturalist API Guide

Overview

iNaturalist is a citizen science platform and social network for naturalists, jointly operated by the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society. The platform enables users to record and share observations of organisms in nature, which are then identified by the community and validated by computer vision models. With over 150 million observations of more than 400,000 species, iNaturalist is one of the largest biodiversity data sources in the world.

The iNaturalist API provides programmatic access to this massive observational dataset. Researchers can query observations by taxonomy, geography, time period, observer, and data quality grade. The API also provides access to taxonomic information, place boundaries, and project data. Research-grade observations (those with community-verified identifications) are automatically shared with GBIF for integration into the global biodiversity data infrastructure.

Ecologists, conservation biologists, evolutionary biologists, and citizen science coordinators use the iNaturalist API to analyze species distributions, track phenological patterns, study urban biodiversity, monitor invasive species, and validate species distribution models. The platform's broad geographic and taxonomic coverage makes it particularly valuable for large-scale ecological analyses.

Authentication

No authentication is required for read-only access to public data. The iNaturalist API v1 allows anonymous queries for observations, taxa, and places. Authentication via OAuth 2.0 is only needed for write operations such as creating observations, adding identifications, or managing projects.

For authenticated requests, register an application at https://www.inaturalist.org/oauth/applications and use the OAuth 2.0 flow to obtain an access token.

Core Endpoints

observations: Search Biodiversity Observations

Query the iNaturalist observation database with filters for taxonomy, geography, time, and data quality.

  • URL: GET https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/observations
  • Parameters:
ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
taxon_idintNoiNaturalist taxon ID to filter by
place_idintNoPlace ID to filter by geographic area
latfloatNoLatitude for geographic search
lngfloatNoLongitude for geographic search
radiusintNoSearch radius in km (used with lat/lng)
d1stringNoStart date (YYYY-MM-DD)
d2stringNoEnd date (YYYY-MM-DD)
quality_gradestringNoresearch, needs_id, or casual
per_pageintNoResults per page (default 30, max 200)
pageintNoPage number
order_bystringNoSort field: created_at, observed_on, votes
  • Example:
bash
curl "https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/observations?taxon_id=3&quality_grade=research&place_id=1&per_page=10"
  • Response: Returns total_results, results array with id, species_guess, taxon (name, rank, ancestry), location (lat,lng), observed_on, quality_grade, photos, user, identifications_count, and geojson.
Show full SKILL.md (224 more words)Show less
taxa: Taxonomic Information

Look up taxonomic information, search for species, and retrieve taxonomic hierarchies.

  • URL: GET https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/taxa
  • Parameters:
ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
qstringNoName search query
taxon_idintNoSpecific taxon ID
rankstringNoFilter by rank: species, genus, etc.
is_activeboolNoFilter for active/inactive taxa
per_pageintNoResults per page (default 30, max 200)
  • Example:
bash
curl "https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/taxa?q=monarch+butterfly&rank=species"
  • Response: Returns results array with id, name, preferred_common_name, rank, observations_count, ancestors, default_photo, wikipedia_url, and conservation_status.
places: Geographic Place Boundaries

Retrieve geographic place definitions used for filtering observations.

  • URL: GET https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/places
  • Parameters:
ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
qstringNoPlace name search query
per_pageintNoResults per page
  • Example:
bash
curl "https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/places/autocomplete?q=Yellowstone"
  • Response: Returns results with id, name, display_name, bounding_box_geojson, location, and admin_level.

Rate Limits

The iNaturalist API enforces a rate limit of 100 requests per minute. Exceeding this limit returns HTTP 429 responses. For large-scale data exports, iNaturalist recommends using their export tools at https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/export or downloading the GBIF-shared dataset. The API also supports If-Modified-Since headers for efficient polling of updated records.

Common Patterns

Species Distribution Analysis

Retrieve research-grade observations of a species for distribution modeling:

python
import requests

params = {
    "taxon_id": 48484,  # Danaus plexippus (Monarch Butterfly)
    "quality_grade": "research",
    "per_page": 200,
    "order_by": "observed_on"
}

resp = requests.get("https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/observations", params=params)
data = resp.json()

for obs in data["results"]:
    if obs.get("location"):
        lat, lng = obs["location"].split(",")
        print(f"{obs['observed_on']}: ({lat}, {lng}) - {obs['taxon']['name']}")
Phenology Tracking

Monitor seasonal patterns by analyzing observation dates across years:

python
import requests
from collections import Counter

params = {
    "taxon_id": 48484,
    "quality_grade": "research",
    "per_page": 200,
    "place_id": 1  # United States
}

resp = requests.get("https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/observations", params=params)
months = Counter()

for obs in resp.json()["results"]:
    if obs.get("observed_on"):
        month = obs["observed_on"][5:7]
        months[month] += 1

for month in sorted(months):
    print(f"Month {month}: {months[month]} observations")
Invasive Species Monitoring

Track observations of invasive species in a specific region:

bash
# Search for Spotted Lanternfly observations in Pennsylvania
curl "https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/observations?taxon_id=325295&place_id=46&quality_grade=research&per_page=50"

References

© wentorai, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/domains/ecology/inaturalist-api of wentorai/research-plugins.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit bf44b3c

Used in 1 other repository

We found 1 copy of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in wentorai/research-plugins, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

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Categories

Questions about Inaturalist API

What does Inaturalist API do?

Citizen science platform API for biodiversity observations. An agent skill from wentorai/research-plugins. Inaturalist API is an agent skill from wentorai/research-plugins.

When should I use Inaturalist API?

Inaturalist API fits situations like: backend & APIs work in your project.

How do I install Inaturalist API in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add wentorai/research-plugins --skill inaturalist-api -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/domains/ecology/inaturalist-api in wentorai/research-plugins) into .claude/skills/inaturalist-api in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Inaturalist API in Codex?

Run `npx skills add wentorai/research-plugins --skill inaturalist-api -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/domains/ecology/inaturalist-api in wentorai/research-plugins) into .agents/skills/inaturalist-api in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Inaturalist API in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add wentorai/research-plugins --skill inaturalist-api -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/inaturalist-api, .gemini/skills/inaturalist-api, .github/skills/inaturalist-api and .opencode/skills/inaturalist-api in your project.

What does Inaturalist API need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Inaturalist API needs the command-line tools its instructions call (curl). Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Inaturalist API access the network?

SKILL.md names 2 domains. In commands or code: api.inaturalist.org; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. As links in the text: inaturalist.org. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Inaturalist API safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Inaturalist API use?

Inaturalist API is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Inaturalist API use?

About 2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 8k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Inaturalist API?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Inaturalist API: Configuring Horizon (coollabsio/coolify, 63k stars), Nestjs Best Practices (rolling-scopes/rsschool-app, 10k stars), Sub2API Admin (Wei-Shaw/sub2api, 44k stars) and Firecrawl Build Onboarding (firecrawl/firecrawl, 190k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Inaturalist API?

wentorai (a GitHub user) maintains it in wentorai/research-plugins, which has 298 GitHub stars. The repository holds 405 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on June 19, 2026.

Source: wentorai/research-plugins on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.