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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Main Authors: 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
Other Authors: 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
Language:English
Published: HAL CCSD 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hal.science/hal-03165606
https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.08.433909
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record_format openpolar
spelling ftunivbrest:oai:HAL:hal-03165606v1 2024-05-19T07:43:50+00:00 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.science/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.science/hal-03165606 doi:10.1101/2021.03.08.433909 https://hal.science/hal-03165606 2021 [SDV.BID.SPT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics Phylogenetics and taxonomy info:eu-repo/semantics/preprint Preprints, Working Papers, . 2021 ftunivbrest https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.08.433909 2024-04-25T15:57:05Z 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 Université de Bretagne Occidentale: HAL
institution Open Polar
collection Université de Bretagne Occidentale: HAL
op_collection_id ftunivbrest
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.science/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.science/hal-03165606
2021
op_relation info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1101/2021.03.08.433909
hal-03165606
https://hal.science/hal-03165606
doi:10.1101/2021.03.08.433909
op_doi https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.08.433909
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