Killer whales
have their picture taken too! In fact, this remains one of the most effective
and cost-friendly methods for the study of small cetacean populations.
High-quality photographs of killer whale flanks help us identify individuals
through the shape of their dorsal fin and from scratches on their saddle
patch (the grey patch behind the fin).The photographs can then be used
to determine the size of killer whale groups and gain information about
the association patterns and social interactions of animals in a group.
Photo identification can also help to distinguish between fish-eating
resident forms of killer whales and mammal-eating transients. Photo identification
has also provided insights into killer whale social organization: It has
shown that residents social groups are extremely stable: both male and
female offspring travel with their mothers for their entire lives. Transients
live in looser groups and at least some sons and daughters eventually
leave the maternal group. Our ultimate objective is to produce a photographic
catalogue of resident and transient whales in the study area. This will
allow us to determine the population size of both forms of killer whales
to be determined with greater accuracy, and to assess the potential impact
of transient killer whales on local marine mammal populations.
Killer whales
have their picture taken too! In fact, this remains one of the most effective
and cost-friendly methods for the study of small cetacean populations.
High-quality photographs of killer whale flanks help us identify individuals
through the shape of their dorsal fin and from scratches on their saddle
patch (the grey patch behind the fin).The photographs can then be used
to determine the size of killer whale groups and gain information about
the association patterns and social interactions of animals in a group.
Photo identification can also help to distinguish between fish-eating
resident forms of killer whales and mammal-eating transients. Photo identification
has also provided insights into killer whale social organization: It has
shown that residents social groups are extremely stable: both male and
female offspring travel with their mothers for their entire lives. Transients
live in looser groups and at least some sons and daughters eventually
leave the maternal group. Our ultimate objective is to produce a photographic
catalogue of resident and transient whales in the study area. This will
allow us to determine the population size of both forms of killer whales
to be determined with greater accuracy, and to assess the potential impact
of transient killer whales on local marine mammal populations.