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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Ocean Observation
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1485788

3D Reconstructions of Stranded Marine Mammals Via Easily Accessible Remote Sensing Tools for Use in Morphometrics and Visualizations

Provisionally accepted
Brendan Cottrell Brendan Cottrell 1Margaret Kalacska Margaret Kalacska 1*J. Pablo Arroyo-Mora J. Pablo Arroyo-Mora 2Oliver Lucanus Oliver Lucanus 1Paul Cottrell Paul Cottrell 3Taylor Lehnhart Taylor Lehnhart 3Stephen Raverty Stephen Raverty 4
  • 1 McGill University, Montreal, Canada
  • 2 National Research Council Canada (NRC), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
  • 3 Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
  • 4 Animal Health Centre, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study investigates the practicality and potential impact of 3D scanning technology to assess marine mammal strandings. Mobile phones were used to evaluate the technology and its capability to accurately reconstruct topographic features of 11 distinct marine mammal species, across diverse environmental conditions. This process was validated by initially measuring an inflatable whale to an accuracy of greater than 99%, with most morphometrics collected being within 2% of conventional tape rule measurements. Our findings demonstrate the adaptability of the technology in remote environments, particularly for large whale strandings, while showcasing its utility to record morphometrics and enhance necropsy documentation. The study underscores the transformative role of 3D scanning in marine mammal postmortem examinations and conservation efforts, offering avenues for improved research, education, and management practices. It emphasizes the importance of accessible technology in engaging communities and advancing wildlife conservation efforts globally.

    Keywords: 3D Scan1, Lidar2, marine mammals3, necropsy4, morphometrics5, photogrammetry6, remote sensing7, visualizations8

    Received: 24 Aug 2024; Accepted: 09 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Cottrell, Kalacska, Arroyo-Mora, Lucanus, Cottrell, Lehnhart and Raverty. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Margaret Kalacska, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.