Meeting Abstract
Large whale strandings offer fleeting opportunities to collect morphology data on largely inaccessible species. Necropsies performed in beach settings are subject to environmental variables that necessitate immediate research team mobilization and rapid data collection. 3D data collection methods could dramatically increase the amount of information obtained during necropsy procedures and allow for a complete model of the body form (including injuries) to be assembled. We explored a photogrammetric method that utilizes a 360º series of photos around the animal to stitch together a 3D model of the body. Photo collection requires only a single smartphone camera and low-cost anchoring targets to be available on the beach. This allows the photo collection portion of the process to be accessible to all stranding response teams. Advanced processing tools are required only in the analysis phase, allowing researchers to bank photo data and process images when image resources are available. In preparation for applicability to large whales, we developed the procedure on small marine mammal subjects, and further adapted it to large targets by taking data sets on inanimate objects such as large vehicles. Photo method variations were explored and tested to optimize data quality in an outdoor setting. The procedure was tested during two North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) stranding events, and 3D reconstructions were created for the carcasses. The reconstructions of the pectoral fins were utilized as a test case for conversion to CAD files and 3D printing of structures of interest.
