Humpback Whale Photo-Identification Project
Discover Pacific Tours - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

In order to keep track of the population of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) that comes to Banderas Bay during the winter months to breed and mate, fluke photographs are constantly being taken all through the season (Dec 15 to March 31); these fluke photographs are assessed by eye and assigned rank values on a 1 to 5, white to black scale, based on the proportion of white and black coloration present on the flukes; examples are shown in the following figure. This method of numerically categorizing ventral fluke patterns is currently used by scientists and by curators of fluke photographs. The following is only a part of the catalog of the whales that visit our bay during the winter season. If you wish to know more about a whale, just click on the image.

1BB0002	1BB0003	1BB0104	1BB0105
1BB0106	1BB0107	1BB0108	1BB0109
1BB9801	2BB0101	2BB0102	2BB0103
2BB0104	2BB0105	2BB0106	2BB0107
2BB0108	2BB0109	3BB0001	3BB0002
3BB0003	3BB0004	3BB0005	3BB0006
3BB0007	3BB0108	3BB0109	3BB0110
3BB0111	3BB0112	3BB0113	3BB0114
3BB0115	3BB0116	3BB0117	3BB0118
3BB0119	3BB0120	4BB0001	4BB0002
4BB0003	4BB0004	4BB0105	4BB0106
4BB0107	4BB0108	4BB0109	4BB0110
4BB0111	4BB0112	4BB0113	4BB0114
4BB0115	4BB0116	5BB0001	5BB0002
5BB0003	5BB0004	5BB0005	5BB0006
5BB0107	5BB0108	5BB0109	5BB0110
5BB0111	5BB0112	5BB0113	5BB0114
5BB0115	5BB0116	5BB0117	5BB0118
5BB0119	5BB0120	5BB0121	5BB0122
5BB0123	5BB0124	5BB0125