Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Do whales and dolphins have 'Finger Prints'?

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In principle the answer has to be yes, although of course, whales do not have fingers, and therefore do not have individual line patterns on their skin. Instead, what counts as the equivalent to a finger print in the case of these aquatic mammals is the shape of the fins, which are almost as unique and recognizable as human fingerprints. Most distinctive of all are the notches along the edge of the fins, which vary significantly from one individual to another. These patters seem to change very little over time-barring accidents and misadventure-and can therefore assist biologists in identifying particular animals in the wild. Whales are most recognizable by their tail fins, dolphins by their dorsal fins.

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