1. Whale Photo-Identification
By: Amber Sheridan

2. When It all Began…
Whale photo-identification studies first began in the 1960s and 1970s.
Black and white film.
Evaluated negatives by magnifying them with microscopes.
Matched them up.
Helped to distinguish different individuals in a species.

3. What is Whale Photo-Identification?
Photo Identification is a primary method for studying whales. “By photographing unique physical characteristics of the whale, such as dorsal fin shape and body coloration patterns, researchers are able to tell individuals apart within a population of a particular species.”(about.com)

4. What can it do for us?
Once a sighting record is established for an individual whale, researchers can study their movements, feeding patterns, migration, life span, age of maturity along with population estimates

5. How they get their names…

7. Humpback Whales Diving without Fluking Photograph underwater
lateral pigmentation shots.
Distinct patterns

8. Bottle- Nose Dolphin

9. Bottlenose Dolphin

10. Whale Shark

11.                                              
Whale Shark

12. No Fluke?
~Silver~
*Venus*

13. Work Cited www.utilawhalesharkresearch.com/faq.jsp
marinelife.about.com/od/watchingandphotography/a/photoid.htm