We fly drones over whales and then measure how skinny or fat they are from the images we capture. We compare the body condition of whales using an index called the Body Area Index (BAI), which is like the Body Mass Index (BMI) used to compare the body condition of humans. Small BAI values mean the whale is skinnier and larger BAI values indicate the whale is fatter.
We fly drones over whales and then measure how skinny or fat they are from the images we capture. We compare the body condition of whales using an index called the Body Area Index (BAI), which is like the Body Mass Index (BMI) used to compare the body condition of humans. Small BAI values mean the whale is skinnier and larger BAI values indicate the whale is fatter.
Whale poop contains molecular data about the whale’s diet, gut microbiome, genetics, toxin loads, and hormone levels. It is amazing how much information is stored within a plume of poop! Our main focus of poop (fecal) sample analysis is to understand the stress and reproductive hormones of whales.
If you are ever lucky enough to watch a gray whale from a shoreside location along the Oregon coast, chances are that the whale is in, near, or heading toward a patch of kelp. Why is this?
Kelp beds, and the rocky reefs on which they grow, are highly productive nearshore habitats that host a diverse community of animals, frequently including aggregations of mysid shrimp (a type of zooplankton), which is the number one prey item of gray whales in Oregon waters.
We use drones to collect body condition and behavior data. A trained pilot flies the drone over the whale at an altitude of about 30m/98ft. We record video of the whale for up to 15 minutes. After the data has been collected, we process the data. This involves extracting screenshots to measure for photogrammetry and reviewing the videos to record the behavior of each whale.
