Image managing software such as Adobe Lightroom is a useful tool to combine older digitized analog photos and more recent digital images into a single database, allowing for the creation of digital long term photo-identification archives. Such data have the potential to provide valuable information about survival, reproduction and residency patterns of individual dolphins. Here we present preliminary results from cataloging of 2272 digitized photos from a bottlenose dolphin photo identification archive held at Texas A&M University at Galveston, using Adobe Lightroom 4.1. The portion of the archive that we cataloged encompasses years from 1991 to 2001 and different locations along the Texas coast: Galveston (n=1250), Corpus Christi (n=372), San Luis Pass (n=251), and South Padre Island (n=100). Unfortunately, for 299 photos the location was unspecified. The photographic sample was stratified by quality category (Q0-Q3) and dorsal fin distinctiveness (categories D1-D6). Dorsal fins were first matched within each year and across locations and then matched across years. Using only the two best photo quality categories (n=889 photos) and the most distinctive markings (D1-D3), we identified a total of 320 individuals (138 in Galveston, 94 in Corpus Christi, 23 in San Louis Pass, 9 in South Padre Island, 56 in an unspecified location). Of these, 81.5% (n=261) were only captured in one year, 12.5% (n=40) in 2 years, 4.4% (n=14) in 3 years, and 1.6 % (n=5) in more than 3 years. No matches were found across locations. We were able to follow modifications on the dorsal fin trailing and/or leading edge for 17 marked individuals. Future perspectives and challenges include enlarging the catalog adding following years and combining it with other sources of information, such as photo-identification archives from other institutions. Thislongitudinal dataset offers a long-term perspective on bottlenose dolphin ecology and potential conservation along the Texas coast.
Building a Historic Texas Bottlenose Dolphin Photo-Identification Catalog / Santostasi, NINA LUISA; Bonizzoni, Silvia; Bearzi, Giovanni; Bosquez, Joclyn; Ferreira da Silveria, Mariana; Marcum, Eren; Piwetz, Sarah; Wursig, Bernd. - (2015). (Intervento presentato al convegno Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Marine Mammal Symposium (SEAMAMMS) tenutosi a Virginia Beach, VA, USA).
Building a Historic Texas Bottlenose Dolphin Photo-Identification Catalog
Nina Luisa Santostasi;
2015
Abstract
Image managing software such as Adobe Lightroom is a useful tool to combine older digitized analog photos and more recent digital images into a single database, allowing for the creation of digital long term photo-identification archives. Such data have the potential to provide valuable information about survival, reproduction and residency patterns of individual dolphins. Here we present preliminary results from cataloging of 2272 digitized photos from a bottlenose dolphin photo identification archive held at Texas A&M University at Galveston, using Adobe Lightroom 4.1. The portion of the archive that we cataloged encompasses years from 1991 to 2001 and different locations along the Texas coast: Galveston (n=1250), Corpus Christi (n=372), San Luis Pass (n=251), and South Padre Island (n=100). Unfortunately, for 299 photos the location was unspecified. The photographic sample was stratified by quality category (Q0-Q3) and dorsal fin distinctiveness (categories D1-D6). Dorsal fins were first matched within each year and across locations and then matched across years. Using only the two best photo quality categories (n=889 photos) and the most distinctive markings (D1-D3), we identified a total of 320 individuals (138 in Galveston, 94 in Corpus Christi, 23 in San Louis Pass, 9 in South Padre Island, 56 in an unspecified location). Of these, 81.5% (n=261) were only captured in one year, 12.5% (n=40) in 2 years, 4.4% (n=14) in 3 years, and 1.6 % (n=5) in more than 3 years. No matches were found across locations. We were able to follow modifications on the dorsal fin trailing and/or leading edge for 17 marked individuals. Future perspectives and challenges include enlarging the catalog adding following years and combining it with other sources of information, such as photo-identification archives from other institutions. Thislongitudinal dataset offers a long-term perspective on bottlenose dolphin ecology and potential conservation along the Texas coast.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
