Cetacean citizen science: Using iNaturalist as a tool to study whales and dolphins
Department of Biology, Wingate University, Wingate, North Carolina, USA.
Research Article
World Journal of Biology Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 2024, 19(01), 458–465.
Article DOI: 10.30574/wjbphs.2024.19.1.0472
Publication history:
Received on 17 June 2024; revised on 26 July 2024; accepted on 28 July 2024
Abstract:
Cetaceans are commonly observed in open water or near shore habitats by citizen scientists, recreational boaters, tourists, and researchers. Sightings representing images with known time and location data may include an assortment of behaviors are readily visible, and can provide distribution data for future monitoring, validate beach strandings, or highlight localities where species occur. However, to date, there is no assessment across species of the presence, distribution, and behavior of North American cetaceans of the increasingly utilized citizen science application iNaturalist. To this end, this short communication presents distribution and temporal trends on presence, mortalities, and behaviors present in cetaceans within the USA. These findings highlight iNaturalist as a powerful tool and the potential application of this app for future cetacean research and environmental management.
Keywords:
Environmental Biology; Behavior; Zoology; Biology
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Copyright © 2024 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0