Gray Whale Coastal Ecosystems Research Foundation Photo ID Lesson by Dr. William Megill Example #4 So did you get it right?   This one was a real toughie, since you really had to rotate the whale in your head to make the match. Look at the three white marks in the blue circle. Look carefully, and you'll find other markings that are the same. Can you see why the other whales do not match? The middle one is obvious, but the bottom one is more subtle. Did you notice the extra clue in the bottom right-hand corner of the photographs? The text there identifies the year, photographer, roll and frame number of the photograph. With that information, we can link the photographs to the rest of our sightings database, so we can keep track of individuals. Did you notice that the correct answer was the next photograph on the roll after the one you were asked to match (above)? It's not always true, but there's often a good chance that subsequent photographs will be of the same whale.   Think you've got the hang of it? Great! Now we'll move on to the real thing - matching whales between Canada and Mexico!  Next Example Coastal Ecosystems Research Foundation Allison Harbour PO Box 124 Port Hardy, BC, Canada V0N 2P0 tel: (604) 202-9350 or 1-877-223-2373 (toll-free) fax: (815) 327-0183 email: info@cerf.bc.ca All photographs and graphics in this document © CERF 1995-2001. Do not reproduce without prior written consent. Facebook Pinterest Twitter © 1997 – 2024 Journey North. All rights reserved.