2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Development of a simple non-invasive method for girth measurement and quantification of emaciation in free-ranging aquatic wild animals
| Project/Area Number |
21K05726
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 40030:Aquatic bioproduction science-related
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| Research Institution | Mie University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
濱 裕光 大阪公立大学, 大学院情報学研究科, 客員研究員 (20047377)
橋本 幸枝 追手門学院大学, 経営学部, 講師 (10846512)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | イルカ / 胴まわり / やせ具合 / モニタリング / 保全 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
If we can continuously monitor the leanness of individuals in a wildlife population, we can quickly detect qualitative deterioration within the population. In this study, we validated the assumption of our previously developed non-contact method for measuring the girth of free-swimming wild dolphins (girth measured at the base of the dorsal fin) that "the girth of dolphins in water is elliptical" using five dolphins in aquariums, thereby demonstrating the accuracy of this method. Additionally, we developed a simpler "leanness index" based on the traced coordinates of the edge from the base of the rostrum to the anterior base of the dorsal fin. However, we found that this index is influenced by the vertical position of the neck and varies between juvenile and adult dolphins. We will continue to use these methods for monitoring wild dolphin populations.
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| Free Research Field |
保全学，動物生態学，生体計測学
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
野生動物の太り（痩せ）具合を知ることは，各個体の健康状態を知ることや，個体群全体の健全性を測るためにきわめて重要である．水中に生息するイルカにおいては，レーザー光など陸上で用いることのできる計測技術を用いることが困難である．本手法は既製品のビデオカメラを用いる手法であり，自由遊泳中の野生イルカと並んで泳ぎ撮影するだけで計測することができるのは画期的である．また，長期間行わなければならないモニタリングには，簡便な手法で誰でも行うことが重要であり，1つのビデオカメラで簡単に痩せ具合を判定できる本手法は最適であると言える．
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