Public Lecture: The Use of Drones to Study Whales

Speaker: Dr Fredrik Christiansen, Marine Mammal Research, Aarhus University

Whales are the largest animals on our planet, yet we still know relatively little about their size and shape, how much they eat, and how much energy (calories) they spend. Since whales are too large to physically constrain and measure, new non-invasive methods are needed to study their physiology and behaviour. Since 2014, Dr Christiansen has used drones to measure the size and shape (fatness) of whales to answer different questions in physiology and bioenergetics (how much energy whales acquire and spend). The lecture will show highlights of this pioneering research, including research on humpback whales in Western Australia, southern right whales in South Australia, gray whales in Mexico and bowhead whales in Greenland. In addition to fascinating research, beautiful drone footage will be shown of whales from all over the world.

Fredrik Christiansen is an ecophysiologist interested in the relationship between animal behaviour, bioenergetics and population dynamics, with a focus on cetaceans. He is interested in how behavioural changes caused by human disturbance can influence the amount of energy that animal acquires and spends, and how this influences their body condition and ultimately survival and reproduction. His research areas include behavioural ecology, physiology, bioenergetics and reproductive biology.

Dr Fredrik Christiansen is a UWA Institute of Advanced Studies Visiting Fellow, working with Dr Kate Sprogis, Lecturer in Marine Mammal Ecology, part of the UWA Oceans Institute and School of Biological Sciences, in the Great Southern Marine Research Facility, located on the UWA Albany campus.

This lecture is presented by UWA Albany and the UWA Institute of Advanced Studies.