Life Histories of Satellite-Tracked Southern Right Whales Through Photo-Identification and Citizen Science in Patagonia, Argentina

Abstract

The migratory behaviors that characterize many marine species pose a challenge for the study of their demographic parameters and movement pat-terns due to the remoteness or seasonal inacces-sibility of their habitats (Witt et al., 2009). Photo-identification (hereafter photo-ID) is a non-invasive technique used to identify individuals by docu-menting natural markings of animals in the wild. In marine megavertebrates, photo-ID has been employed using the natural spot patterns of manta rays (Mobula sp.; Armstrong et al., 2020) and whale sharks (Rhincodon typus; Araujo et al., 2019), and the head callosity patterns, body scarring, and nicks and notches on dorsal fins and flukes of cetaceans (Wells, 2009). Photo-ID is a powerful technique for studying demographic parameters, it is relatively inexpensive, and it allows monitoring of represen-tative samples of a population over time (Wells, 2009). However, its ability to provide insights into migratory patterns is limited by the need to photo-graphically recapture the individual in multiple des-tinations that are frequently inaccessible.