A humpback whale photo catalogue is compiled in Chukotka for the first time

The photo catalogue includes 74 unique images of humpbacks' flukes photographed by the experts in August-September 2017 in the nearshore area of the Senyavin Channel within the the «Beringia» national park. The lower side of the whale’s fluke and its trailing edge are unique for each humpback whale, like fingerprints for humans. Scientists use peculiarities of whale’s flukes to distinguish whales from each other. Photo catalogues are databases that allow scientists to track the fate of an individual animal. The data makes it possible to determine migration routes, locate feeding grounds and whale concentrations. Photographing females together with one-year-old cubs allows to learn later the sex and age of individual animals.