Using Known Births to Account for Delayed Marking in Population Estimation of North Atlantic Right Whales.

ABSTRACT: Population estimation using capture-recapture modeling typically requires that individuals are identifiable by unique marks. North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) can be identified by natural callosity patterns on their heads that are established nearly a year after birth, which has facilitated population monitoring using extensive aerial surveys. A well-maintained catalog of individual sightings has been used to annually estimate population size with a Jolly-Seber (J-S) model using a Bayesian state-space framework. Given that young animals cannot enter the catalog before an established callosity pattern, the terminal-year population estimate never includes new calves despite breeding area surveys that provide a nearly complete census of births. Here, I illustrate a simp

SUBMITTER: Linden DW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11879271 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature