The disappearing whales were spotted from the satellite. One of them was recognized by the scar on his tail.

A new study of satellite images by researchers at the University of Ottawa is the first to

in which scientists identified a specific endangered North Atlantic right whale from the Gulf of St. Lawrence from space.

Currently the North Atlantic right whale isdanger - there are about 336 individual individuals in total. Mortality is rising as whales collide with ships and become entangled in fishing gear, making them difficult to detect and track. And this is very important for efforts to preserve the species.

Knowing where whales are at any given time will help regulate fisheries to protect the animals, scientists say.

Whale identification from aerial photography versus satellite imagery.
Credit: University of Ottawa/Canadian Space Agency

Experts used a new type of satelliteimages with a spatial resolution of 15 cm. This means that each pixel in the image corresponds to exactly 15 cm on the Earth’s surface. For context, this is much better than Google Earth satellite imagery. These images allow us to find the endangered North Atlantic right whale and distinguish the species from others such as fin whales and humpback whales. In some cases, it also allows them to accurately identify individuals with distinct markings.

Thus, scientists managed to identify the whale by its nameRuffian, who was seriously injured when he became entangled in fishing gear in 2008. As a result, he was left with a distinct large white scar on his back. In satellite images they found a whale with exactly the same scar.

Read more:

Created a compact nuclear reactor for safe energy production

Unusual structures found on the edge of the solar system. Only the Voyagers have been there.

Black hole 'spit out' torn star three years after swallowing