Animals with patterned features can often be identified uniquely. By taking a picture, you can match that pattern to others already in the database. Your animal might be new to the database, or it might be a new sighting of one we have seen before!
You can upload files from your computer, or take them directly from your Flickr or Facebook account. Be sure to enter when and where you saw the animal, and add other information, such as species or sex, if you can. You will receive email updates when your animal is processed.
When you submit an identification photo, a local researcher receives a notification. This researcher will double check that the information you submitted is correct (so don't worry if you are unsure about which species you saw!).
Once a researcher is happy with all the data accompanying the identification photo, they will look for a photo match, using multiple computer assisted algorithms. It's like facial recognition software for animals.
Wildbook uses computer vision to compare new IDs to the existing database. Researchers then visually confirm a match to an existing animal in the database, or create a new individual profile.
12031 identified individuals
52554 reported encounters
58 contributors
“Sperm whales roam so vastly that no one research group can study them across their range. PhotoID as a tool for conservation and research finds power in numbers and international, inter-institutional collaboration. Flukebook enables us to do this easily.”
- Shane Gero, The Dominica Sperm Whale Project