Investigating the thermal physiology of Critically Endangered North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis via aerial infrared thermography

The Critically Endangered status of North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis (NARWs) warrants the development new, less invasive technology to monitor health individuals. Combined with advancements in remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS, commonly ‘drones’), infrared thermography (IRT) is being increasingly used detect and count marine mammals study their physiology. We conducted RPAS-based IRT over NARWs Cape Cod Bay, MA, USA, 2017 2018. Observations demonstrated 3 particularly useful applications large whales: (1) exploring patterns cranial heat loss providing insight into physiological mechanisms that produce these patterns; (2) tracking subsurface individuals real-time (depending on thermal stratification water column) using cold surface anomalies resulting from fluke upstrokes; (3) detecting natural changes superficial blood circulation or diagnosing pathology based post-cranial body surfaces. These qualitative present a important opportunity study, monitor, conserve whales, rare at-risk species such as NARWs. Despite challenges this aquatic environments, for monitoring behavior endangered mammals, including collection quantitative data physiology, will continue diversify.