A Drone Captured These Never-Before-Seen Views of Killer Whales

[undeterred]

The up-close-and-personal photos allow scientists to monitor the imperiled marine mammals' health. Can drones help save the whales?

In August, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Vancouver Aquarium conducted a series of drone flights over British Columbia’s Johnstone Strait to monitor the health and reproduction of threatened Northern Resident killer whales from 100 feet in the air.

It was the first time researchers had deployed an unmanned aerial vehicle, in this case a six-bladed, remote-controlled helicopter called a hexacopter, to observe orcas. Scientists are trying to determine if the salmon-eating killer whales are getting enough food by analyzing the high-resolution photos to observe the weight of individual animals. They can also see which females are pregnant and confirm the percentage of successful pregnancies.

“We collected just under 20,000 images during 60 flights of 77 Northern Resident killer whales and five transient (mammal eating) killer whales,” John Durban, a population ecologist for NOAA Fisheries, said in an email. Scientists previously used helicopters to observe the Northern Residents and their endangered counterparts, Southern Resident killer whales. But research helicopters are expensive to operate. And because they’re noisy, they must maintain an altitude of 750 feet or greater to avoid disturbing the marine mammals. A quiet, battery-powered drone, on the other hand, can hover as low as 100 feet without the whales even noticing.

“We need overhead images linked to precise altitude in order to estimate size, and we use aerial images of shape to assess body condition,” Durban said. “The hexacopter is small and portable, so it can be used in relatively remote situations.”





Read more: http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/10/16/drone-took-these-never-seen-views-killer-whales?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2014-10-16

[F4lconF16]

1. ...

Those are some really cool shots. If we could get more we could probabbly learn something about pod dynamics and how they move as a group.

K&R

[Adsos Letter]

2. Very cool

They remind me of some wind-up bathtub toys my kids used to play with.

This is a good use for drones.

[catchnrelease]

3. Those are so awesome!

I was watching a video yesterday taken with a drone of Sperm whales that are off the So Cal coast right now. Such a cool way to get to see all of these guys without the hassle of boats crowding them. I think you can see them much better than from a boat.

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[Unknown Beatle]

4. That means you'll be

seeing the whales through video and not up close and live. I'd rather see them live at whatever distance rather than up close on video.

[catchnrelease]

5. Of course

It's always more fun to see them live. Two years ago we went out and saw the Blue Whales that were passing through, and it was exciting and you could get some idea of how huge they are. If I had the chance I would definitely go out to see Orca or Sperm Whales live too. But I like also seeing the overhead view to see how they look and move as a group, details etc. I think it gives a more complete picture of the natural history of the animals.

[jmondine]

6. These are my local whales

I am so lucky to live in an area with such extraordinary marine mammals. This Sunday, I'll be going out to see their giant humpback cousins in the Straight of Juan de Fuca!

[Omaha Steve]

7. PLEASE X post in GD

Beat me to the post.

K&R!