Camera trap records of urban wild mammal activity and habitat use in Freiburg, Germany

Wildlife is increasingly exposed to human-dominated environments, yet detailed data on species activity patterns and urban habitat use remain limited. This dataset documents camera-trap detections of ten wild mammal species -  badger (Meles meles), foxes (Vulpes vulpes), rat (Rattus spp.), wild boar (Sus scrofa), and marten (Martes spp.), rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), hare (Lepus europaeus), and hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) - collected across urban and peri-urban sites in the city of Freiburg, Germany. Records were obtained from 24 camera-trap locations and include one row per independent capture event. For each detection, the dataset provides species identity, number of individuals, spatial identifiers (camera location ID and file path), and temporal information, including date, time, timestamp, season, and day–night classification. To characterize activity patterns, the dataset includes binary and categorical indicators of nocturnal versus diurnal activity as well as continuous circular time variables. Urban habitat context is quantified per ID by the proportion of impervious surface surrounding each camera location, serving as a proxy for urbanization intensity. Additional variables summarize sampling effort and detection frequency by camera and season. The dataset enables analyses of diel activity patterns, species-specific urban habitat preferences, and trait-based comparisons across mammal species in urban landscapes. It can be reused for studies on urban wildlife ecology, temporal niche partitioning, human–wildlife interactions, and spatial responses of mammals to urbanization gradients. All data were collected using non-invasive camera trapping and contain no personal or sensitive information. The dataset presents minimal ethical risk and complies with relevant wildlife monitoring and data protection guidelines.