Colombian scientist Diego Mujica (left) of the Malpelo Foundation takes pictures of a humpback whale at the Gerlache Strait, which separates the Palmer Archipelago from the Antarctic Peninsula, in Antarctica. — AFP
IN Antarctica, a scientist waits patiently for two frolicking humpback whales to poke their tails out of the icy waters so she can take a photographic “fingerprint” of the unique colours and patterns that allow researchers to identify individuals of the species.
Andrea Bonilla, a Colombian scientist at Cornell University in the United States, has been working with a team of researchers since 2014 to catalog humpback whales from a visual analysis of their tails – or flukes.
