Scientists have figured out a clever way to distinguish one, individual whale shark from another using computer algorithms originally developed for astronomy. That's because whale sharks are spotted, and individuals have unique spot patterns, just like different parts of the sky have unique star patterns. More than simply a one-time ID system, the method works with a database of whale shark photos so that different people all over the world can upload photos and find out where else "their" whale shark has been.
And it's not just for scientists. This is one of those places where laypeople can participate in helping collect data. The next time you're in an area where whale sharks are present, you can take a photo and contribute it to the growing database. Deep Sea News explains how the system, called ECOCEAN works:
To read the full, original article click on this link: Tracking whale sharks with citizen science and astronomy software - Boing Boing
Author:Maggie Koerth-Baker
