Underwater photo-identification of marine megafauna: an identity card catalogue of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off Mauritius Island
The long-term monitoring of long-lived animal populations often requires individual identification. For cetacean populations, this identification is mostly based on morphological characters observable from a boat such as shape, spots and cuts of the back, caudal and dorsal fins. This is well suited...
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ftccsdartic:oai:HAL:hal-03165606v1 2023-05-15T17:10:52+02:00 Underwater photo-identification of marine megafauna: an identity card catalogue of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off Mauritius Island Sarano, Veronique Sarano, Francois Giradet, Justine Preudhomme, Axel Vitry, Hugues Heuzey, Rene Sarano, Marion Delfour, Fabienne Glotin, Hervé Adam, Olivier Madon, Benedicte Jung, Jean-Luc Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB ) Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE) Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université des Antilles (UA) Université de Brest (UBO) 2021-03-10 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03165606 https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.08.433909 en eng HAL CCSD info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1101/2021.03.08.433909 hal-03165606 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03165606 doi:10.1101/2021.03.08.433909 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03165606 2021 [SDV.BID.SPT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics Phylogenetics and taxonomy info:eu-repo/semantics/preprint Preprints, Working Papers, . 2021 ftccsdartic https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.08.433909 2021-12-19T00:25:26Z The long-term monitoring of long-lived animal populations often requires individual identification. For cetacean populations, this identification is mostly based on morphological characters observable from a boat such as shape, spots and cuts of the back, caudal and dorsal fins. This is well suited for species easily displaying their caudal fins, such as the humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae, or those whose skin pigmentation patterns enable individual identification. However, for elusive or shier species such as the sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus, this approach may be more challenging as individuals display a rather uniform skin pigmentation. They also do not show very often their caudal fin that must be photographed perpendicularly to the water surface, vertically and fully emerged, uneasing the individual identification from a boat. Immature sperm whales that usually have a caudal fin without any distinctive marks may sometimes be excluded from photo-identification catalogues. Within the framework of the Maubydick project, focusing on the long-term monitoring of sperm whales in Mauritius, passive underwater observation and video recording were used to identify long-lasting body markers (e.g., sex, ventral white markings, cut outs of fins) to improve individual identification. A catalogue of individual identity cards was developed and 38 individuals were recorded (six adult males, 18 adult females and 14 immatures). This catalogue was used in the field and enabled observers to record some nearly-daily and yearly recaptures. Advantages and disadvantages of this method are presented here. Such catalogues represent a robust baseline for conducting behavioural, genetic and acoustic studies in marine megafauna social species. Benefits of such newly acquired knowledge are of first importance to implement relevant conservation plans in the marine realm. Report Megaptera novaeangliae Physeter macrocephalus Archive ouverte HAL (Hyper Article en Ligne, CCSD - Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Archive ouverte HAL (Hyper Article en Ligne, CCSD - Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) |
op_collection_id |
ftccsdartic |
language |
English |
topic |
[SDV.BID.SPT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics Phylogenetics and taxonomy |
spellingShingle |
[SDV.BID.SPT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics Phylogenetics and taxonomy Sarano, Veronique Sarano, Francois Giradet, Justine Preudhomme, Axel Vitry, Hugues Heuzey, Rene Sarano, Marion Delfour, Fabienne Glotin, Hervé Adam, Olivier Madon, Benedicte Jung, Jean-Luc Underwater photo-identification of marine megafauna: an identity card catalogue of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off Mauritius Island |
topic_facet |
[SDV.BID.SPT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics Phylogenetics and taxonomy |
description |
The long-term monitoring of long-lived animal populations often requires individual identification. For cetacean populations, this identification is mostly based on morphological characters observable from a boat such as shape, spots and cuts of the back, caudal and dorsal fins. This is well suited for species easily displaying their caudal fins, such as the humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae, or those whose skin pigmentation patterns enable individual identification. However, for elusive or shier species such as the sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus, this approach may be more challenging as individuals display a rather uniform skin pigmentation. They also do not show very often their caudal fin that must be photographed perpendicularly to the water surface, vertically and fully emerged, uneasing the individual identification from a boat. Immature sperm whales that usually have a caudal fin without any distinctive marks may sometimes be excluded from photo-identification catalogues. Within the framework of the Maubydick project, focusing on the long-term monitoring of sperm whales in Mauritius, passive underwater observation and video recording were used to identify long-lasting body markers (e.g., sex, ventral white markings, cut outs of fins) to improve individual identification. A catalogue of individual identity cards was developed and 38 individuals were recorded (six adult males, 18 adult females and 14 immatures). This catalogue was used in the field and enabled observers to record some nearly-daily and yearly recaptures. Advantages and disadvantages of this method are presented here. Such catalogues represent a robust baseline for conducting behavioural, genetic and acoustic studies in marine megafauna social species. Benefits of such newly acquired knowledge are of first importance to implement relevant conservation plans in the marine realm. |
author2 |
Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB ) Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE) Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université des Antilles (UA) Université de Brest (UBO) |
format |
Report |
author |
Sarano, Veronique Sarano, Francois Giradet, Justine Preudhomme, Axel Vitry, Hugues Heuzey, Rene Sarano, Marion Delfour, Fabienne Glotin, Hervé Adam, Olivier Madon, Benedicte Jung, Jean-Luc |
author_facet |
Sarano, Veronique Sarano, Francois Giradet, Justine Preudhomme, Axel Vitry, Hugues Heuzey, Rene Sarano, Marion Delfour, Fabienne Glotin, Hervé Adam, Olivier Madon, Benedicte Jung, Jean-Luc |
author_sort |
Sarano, Veronique |
title |
Underwater photo-identification of marine megafauna: an identity card catalogue of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off Mauritius Island |
title_short |
Underwater photo-identification of marine megafauna: an identity card catalogue of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off Mauritius Island |
title_full |
Underwater photo-identification of marine megafauna: an identity card catalogue of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off Mauritius Island |
title_fullStr |
Underwater photo-identification of marine megafauna: an identity card catalogue of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off Mauritius Island |
title_full_unstemmed |
Underwater photo-identification of marine megafauna: an identity card catalogue of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off Mauritius Island |
title_sort |
underwater photo-identification of marine megafauna: an identity card catalogue of sperm whales (physeter macrocephalus) off mauritius island |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03165606 https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.08.433909 |
genre |
Megaptera novaeangliae Physeter macrocephalus |
genre_facet |
Megaptera novaeangliae Physeter macrocephalus |
op_source |
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03165606 2021 |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1101/2021.03.08.433909 hal-03165606 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03165606 doi:10.1101/2021.03.08.433909 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.08.433909 |
_version_ |
1766067527671087104 |